I have an idea to start a website that will put up published material. Not books of any sort, but stuff in american literature books such as Huckleberry Finn and poems, for example by Robert Frost. If I put up poems by other poets can I be sued? Or as long as have the poets name for each poem will I be in the clear? Thanks! Another example that might give more understanding is lyrics sites. They put up content on their sites (the lyrics) which are technically owned by the artists and record labels but aren't being shut down...?
Anything written is subject to copyright protection. You should do some research on the exact material you intend to put up before you put yourself at risk. Lyrics are also protected and sites have been sued and the legal ones are paying royalties. Copyright infringement can also be a criminal charge, people have gone to jail, and the music industry is actually pushing for more criminal charges. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright http://www.copyright.gov/
Thanks for the input. Would you happen to know the amount or a ballpark range of what legal sites (lyrics sites) are paying in royalties? Also, how would I go about setting up contracts and whatnot to pay these royalties?
Metro Lyrics was the first, or one of the first, to cut a deal. I have no idea of what they pay, but since you are talking about a big legal contract, my guess is that they aren't going to be interested unless you are talking about them getting tens of thousands of dollars or more guaranteed.
It depends on the particular thing you seek to publish. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (often shortened to Huck Finn) is a novel written by Mark Twain and published in 1884. Because it was published in 1884 it is no longer protected by copyright and could be freely copied and reproduced by you.
Thank you for the input! What's the amount of time (years) that must pass to be able to freely reproduce published material?
There are a lot of complicated rules. But basically, anything published before 1923 is in the public domain. Any book, artwork, song, or poem published before 1923 is in the public domain in the United States.
Here's a handy-dandy public domain chart for works copyrighted in the US: http://www.copyright.cornell.edu/resources/publicdomain.cfm As browntwn says, it's complicated (be sure to go to the link for details), but works published before 1923 in the US are in the public domain. Current copyright law says published works are under copyright for 70 years after the death of the author.
There are instances where copyright from certain authors can be renewed through family. Be careful of that and I have seen it a few times when scouring public domain material.
There is no way to renew or maintain a US copyright for something published prior to 1923. Also, there are many families and other who claim right to materials but they have no such rights.
Hi ... are you going to post poetry and excerpts for profit or as a public service. If for profit, heed the sage advice given in this thread. If as a public service, you're likely ok, but it's always best to provide full citation of works posted. Copyright, in the developed countries, tends to protect scholarship, including private study, else all the universities would close, today. Good luck, yours is a worthy venture.