Is it right?

Discussion in 'Copywriting' started by nothingnothing, Jan 6, 2008.

  1. #1
    I just want to ask that if it is right that I copy something from a site and in the end write " source= name of the website". Like if copy a news from sun and gave a link at the bottom " source= Sun".
     
    nothingnothing, Jan 6, 2008 IP
  2. godofwriting

    godofwriting Banned

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    #2
    Don't think so. Unless they mention "you can use this article as long as you credit us" or something like that, I'm not sure they'd let you go if you reproduce their stuff...

    Most websites say in their TOS: "Material on this website shall not be reproduced without explicit written permission by the author."

    So be careful when you're planning to include somebody else's entire article on your site.
     
    godofwriting, Jan 6, 2008 IP
  3. nothingnothing

    nothingnothing Peon

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    #3
    Thanks. But what if I am having a debate on my blog and I have to back myself with some source.( the source is mainly a newspaper's website)
     
    nothingnothing, Jan 6, 2008 IP
  4. The Emirates Gallastico

    The Emirates Gallastico Banned

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    #4
    Don't copy the whole thing, copy say a chunk in quotes and mention what you thought about it etc.
     
  5. godofwriting

    godofwriting Banned

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    #5
    Or just include a link to the page in question. That should do the trick without landing you in any trouble.
     
    godofwriting, Jan 6, 2008 IP
  6. CoolCopy

    CoolCopy Peon

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    #6
    If you're quoting a news story it's fine, as long
    as you first state "As mentioned in
    XYZYX Newspaper on 01/01/08 -". Then place
    the quoted source onto your site as a blockquote,
    and finish with a link back to the original source.

    Hope that helps!
     
    CoolCopy, Jan 6, 2008 IP
  7. jhmattern

    jhmattern Illustrious Member

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    #7
    No, you can't publish the whole article.

    How much you can publish as a quote will likely be debatable, but you'd better read up on fair use issues first if you're planning to quote large portions (if you're in the US, visit www.Copyright.gov - if you're elsewhere, search for your area's laws on intellectual property). Either way, always cite your source.

    Adding a link below an article you copy does NOT make it even close to legal. Just because every Joe Schmo webmaster is dying to build backlinks doesn't mean that major publications care about them in the same way. They're not worth nearly as much as the copyright in the work they own is.
     
    jhmattern, Jan 6, 2008 IP
  8. jenny123

    jenny123 Peon

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    #8
    What Jenn has said is correct but I have seen thousands of people copying a para or so, placing them in their website or journal and in the end mention the source. Do you think all of them got exclusive permission from the copyrighters? :confused:

    As far as my knowledge goes, copying something from a site and in the end writing the source is only legal till the point, the data you have copied are facts and figures... for the rest it is always advisable to consult the copyrighters before using their work.
     
    jenny123, Jan 6, 2008 IP
  9. jhmattern

    jhmattern Illustrious Member

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    #9
    Just because a lot of people are ignorant about copyright laws doesn't make what they're doing right. ;)

    There's also a big difference between a paragraph and a whole article. You may also be talking about splogs, which are showing the first article and source link from RSS feeds. They're able to use those, because the copyright-holder made the feed available to them (unless the copyright holder has an RSS terms of use that forbids publishing it on commercial sites or something similar).

    If you use someone's facts and figures, yes, it's best to always cite the source (it also gives your article more credibility). There are other fair use rules as well though. For example, you'll generally be safe if you quote a small snippet of a news story, cite the source, and offer your own thoughts and commentary on the news. :)
     
    jhmattern, Jan 6, 2008 IP
  10. CoolCopy

    CoolCopy Peon

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    #10
    It was my understanding that NothingNothing just wanted to quote a portion of a news story to prove a point. In that instance, a parenthetical citation would be perfectly acceptable, provided that credit was given to the original source along with a link to the original source.

    Of course copying an entire news story would require permission from the newspaper in question; but to merely quote a portion of the story (as I understood to be nothingnothing's intent), only requires that the source be credited as the originator of the material.

    An example would be:

    Forgive me, I should have been more precise in my original answer.
     
    CoolCopy, Jan 6, 2008 IP
  11. jhmattern

    jhmattern Illustrious Member

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    #11
    To me it sounds like they want to publish full news articles with a credit link, from the original post (something unfortunately very common). It would be nice if they could clarify.

    But yes, quoting is different than simply copying a full article. There are limitations to what would qualify for fair use though. For example, if the original article was on the top ten trends in some industry, with blurbs about each, and the OP left off the intro, conclusion, etc. but published the "meat" of the story, they could be in trouble citation or not. Fair use isn't cut and dry unfortunately.
     
    jhmattern, Jan 6, 2008 IP
  12. nothingnothing

    nothingnothing Peon

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    #12
    Thanks all. But as Coolcopy has said "NothingNothing just wanted to quote a portion of a news story to prove a point" yes This is what I meant by my Question not this jhmattern "To me it sounds like they want to publish full news articles with a credit link, from the original post". I think My question is lot more clear now.
     
    nothingnothing, Jan 6, 2008 IP
  13. jhmattern

    jhmattern Illustrious Member

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    #13
    Then yes.... as long as that "portion" isn't a massive piece of the work, you're likely going to be covered by fair use rules. :)
     
    jhmattern, Jan 6, 2008 IP