McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
Copyright laws?
gravesbane:
When you make reference to another literary work, do you need to get permission, pay a fee, or give credit for the work?
I am working on a character that uses lines from movies or novels as a snappy come back to situations or adversaries. I'm not talking long passages cut and pasted, but something no longer than a line or two. Example: Bad guy has our hero dead to rights and says goodbye to our fair sword-wielding knight. He replies "I'll be back" in his worst German accent.
Thank you in advance for any help you could give me. No point in fleshing out this guy if I can't use him.
Adam:
--- Quote ---Article 10
Certain Free Uses of Works:
1. Quotations; 2. Illustrations for teaching; 3. Indication of source and author
(1) It shall be permissible to make quotations from a work which has already been lawfully made available to the public, provided that their making is compatible with fair practice, and their extent does not exceed that justified by the purpose, including quotations from newspaper articles and periodicals in the form of press summaries.
(2) It shall be a matter for legislation in the countries of the Union, and for special agreements existing or to be concluded between them, to permit the utilization, to the extent justified by the purpose, of literary or artistic works by way of illustration in publications, broadcasts or sound or visual recordings for teaching, provided such utilization is compatible with fair practice.
(3) Where use is made of works in accordance with the preceding paragraphs of this Article, mention shall be made of the source, and of the name of the author if it appears thereon.
http://www.wipo.int/treaties/en/ip/berne/trtdocs_wo001.html#P144_26032
--- End quote ---
Most of our nations have signed the Bern Convention.
Yeratel:
The Dresden Files books are loaded with cultural references like that. It's considered "fair use".
twinswin123:
I don't really get that law thing. Anyone want to translate into teenage english?
Adam:
You're allowed to make references to other works. I think the only way you'd ever get in trouble for it is if you ripped off a whole paragraph or so, word for word, and didn't attribute it to the author.
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