AP says they aren’t concerned with bloggers copying a passage then adding their own thoughts, but will send cease-and-desist letters to those who, say, copy entire articles with no commentary.
I’ve always made a point of quoting as little as possible, then adding my take on it. Not only is this more obviously fair use, it [...]
Posts under ‘Fair use’
AP to deploy anti-misappropriation technology to stop theft
AP to monitor internet for violators
The Associated Press has always come down hard on internet sites that inappropriately (in its view) reproduce its content. Now, it’s going to go even further.
AP will now actively monitor news sites looking for evildoers and they sure have been grumpy about this.
Look, it’s always best to just copy a paragraph or so anyway, and [...]
Ok, we can link to AP again. Sort of.
AP backed off their threat of a lawsuits against the Drudge Retort (a liberal site) for quoting 40-80 words from their articles. They now say they just want to protect their headlines and the lede from being posted elsewhere. (So does that mean you can quote extensively from the rest of the article without fear [...]
Fair Use
Erik J. Heels explains clearly and succinctly what Fair Use is.
For blogging, Fair Use would be using maybe a few paragraphs, then adding your own commentary. You can also just re-phrase what the author said (with a link back), then Fair Use no longer applies.
Check our series of posts on Fair Use for detailed explanations. [...]
Fair Use. Some thoughts
Since running a series of posts on fair use, I’ve changed my blogging style and rarely directly quote other sources now – and the blog is better for it.
Many blogs routinely quote multiple paragraphs from other sources. While this can make for a quick post, paraphrasing works better, because then what you say becomes your [...]
Fair Use. Points for bloggers
Continuing our series of posts on fair use.
Melanie Votaw, friend, author, and freelance writer, details what bloggers need to know about fair use. (printed with her permission.)
Points for bloggers to remember when using a writer’s work
1. Internet material is not free for use. Too many people, bloggers included, seem to believe that anything on the [...]
Fair use and blogging, legal
From the US Copyright Office
The distinction between “fair use” and infringement may be unclear and not easily defined. There is no specific number of words, lines, or notes that may safely be taken without permission. Acknowledging the source of the copyrighted material does not substitute for obtaining permission.
The 1961 Report of the Register of Copyrights [...]
Fair use and blogging, effect upon work’s value
From Wikipedia on Fair Use
The fourth factor [the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.] measures the effect that the allegedly infringing use has had on the copyright owner’s ability to exploit his original work. The court not only investigates whether the defendant’s specific use of the [...]
Fair Use and blogging, Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that offers flexible copyright licenses for creative works.
This is a great way for blogs and websites to allow their content to be shared under criteria of their choosing.
Polizeros now displays a Creative Commons “Attribution- NonCommercial- ShareAlike 2.5 License” at the bottom of each page. This means anyone can use [...]
Fair Use and blogging, the 4 criteria
The Fair Use Network details the legal criteria in determining fair use, for example, a blogger posting content from a newspaper article.
1. The purpose and character of the use  whether the new use is commercial, nonprofit, or educational, among other relevant characteristics; and whether it is “transformative” or merely substitutes for the original.
Adding your [...]
Fair use and blogging, types of media
Many blogs and websites encourage you to copy and link to their material. However, mainstream media may specifically rule out posting their content elsewhere. The L.A. Times says personal use does not include posting to a website and the Houston Chronicle says “no reproduction except for limited personal use.” So while fair use might mean [...]
Fair Use and blogging
(This is the first in a series of posts on Fair Use and blogging)
Many bloggers, including me until I researched it, assume “Fair Use” means you can quote freely from any news source on your blog without fear of copyright infringement. Sorry to pop the bubble, but this just ain’t so.
Short quotations are generally considered [...]
