Hi -I'm writing my first Ebook. It's in an academic style, citing all sources, yet will be sold for profit. However, I'm not sure about some points. 1. I've quoted some public comments some people made in response to a news article on an online newspaper. In my book, I cited their username and the news source and web address etc. But is that enough? Did I have to get the commentator's permission first? If so, I'm out of luck cuz there's no way to contact them... 2. Also, I'm including a page of links of useful Web resources for readers to follow up on. Do I need permission from each website to do so? 3 Finally, when I quoted any material from a privately owned website, I gave the source and the link. Is that enough or did I need their permission to quote them in my book? Any comments appreciated. I get confused between the difference between academic plagiarism and online copyright infringement...
1. Might be ok - depending on exactly what it is, and how much you are using. 2. No, providing links does not require permission. 3. Giving credit does NOT give you permission to use content from another website you don't own. You need express permission. If you can't get it, don't use it.
I just wanted to add that you can make this a win-win situation by offering the person a free copy of your ebook and/or a "thank you" backlink from your web site. That could be doubly good for you, because you not only get to use their content, but you could get a backlink or review of your ebook from them too.
Sorry-- I need to ask a few more questions. I've been reading other posts on this section and googling around and I admit I am more confused than ever... I am ghostwriting this Ebook. It is being done in a scholarly, reporting style, but I assume the client will be selling it for profit. Just as if I were writing an academic paper, I wrote my own material and ideas and wove in information from other sites in order to back up my ideas. The info I used mostly came from academic journals, reports put out by non-profit agencies and online newspapers. When I used info from these sites I either paraphrased, or occasionally used a quote, no more than one or 2 sentences long. All sources were documented, with linkbacks in the endnotes of the book. Is this still copyright infringement? Do I still have to request permission from academic articles, non-profit reports and newspapers to paraphrase their stories or use minimal quotes? (I am NOT cut and pasting huge chunks and dropping into an Ebook here... ) If I used info from sites that were advertising businesses or services, I wrote letters requesting permission to quote them. But the majority of the material was from newspapers and academic reports I found online. I have more than 70 endnotes at this point and the book is due in 2 weeks. I am afraid that my client will get sued for copyright infringement if I don't do this right! Can somebody answer my questions or point me to a place that could?