So lets say I want to write a book, and put a lot of quotes (from famous people, and just the regular joe) in the book, do I have to get permission to quote them? Or can I just quote them without getting my ass sued? Thanks!
Under the fair use doctrine you can use "short" excerpts without permission - although a publisher may want to get permission on them anyway. I expect there is a standard procedure and the publisher would take care of it. The one thing to be sure of is that you attribute all quoted materal.
No, the length is defined by the quality of the quoted material. The determining factor (in the US) is whether the quote contains a substantial amount of the work being cited. Whether a quote comprises a substantial part has little to do with actual length. In some cases a single sentence can be a subsantial portion. It is a highly subjective rule which is why most companies would err on the side of caution.
I see, do you have an example of just one sentence that is substantial enough to get sued over? (So I can use it to gauge). Thanks.
I would really have to look, and it would have to be a whopper of a sentence. And it really depends on what it is coming out of. One sentence from a book would almost never be a substantial portion. But a sentence from a short essay might. As I said, it's a subjective rule. Sometimes you can't be sure until a judge rules on a specific situation.