What information can I use in my articles? Under what conditions?

Discussion in 'Legal Issues' started by mrShrimp, Apr 23, 2012.

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  1. #1
    Hi, I have a question about the content that I can put in my articles, and about what the nature of my articles are. I have been wondering when, and if I can use content found on Wikipedia in my articles, and whether I can use content found on separate websites. Also, am I using the information for commercial purposes if I just display it on my website? Would it become commercial if I set up ads on my site?

    Also, can I post general information found on government sites without having to worry?
     
    mrShrimp, Apr 23, 2012 IP
  2. omgcats

    omgcats Member

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    #2
    Wikipedia licenses itself under a Creative Commons license, which means that you CAN copy their content word-for-word as long as you cite them as the source. Most other websites do not allow this. However this is not the best idea for the purposes of SEO, because an article copied from Wikipedia will be seen as duplicate content. It is best to use Wikipedia to get the facts, and then write an article in your own words.

    I am not certain about this, but I believe that just putting up ads will NOT make it commerical. You would run into problems if you were selling something on your website or if you were charging people to access your website. There are plenty of ad-driven websites such as WikiAnswers which reproduce wikipedia articles.

    Another important thing to note is that no one owns information. They own the text they have written, but not the facts. For example, if the government writes an article about population growth, they own that article. But if they have a table listing the percentage growth in each state, that is a fact and not something that they can own.

    (I am not a lawyer, this is not legal advice)
     
    omgcats, May 14, 2012 IP
  3. Steve Marx

    Steve Marx Peon

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    #3
    I found omgcats reply very well done. It's true that duplicate content will get ignored when it comes to SEO, and some sites won't allow it to be published.
     
    Steve Marx, May 15, 2012 IP
  4. bob maxey

    bob maxey Peon

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    #4
    Your reply is essentially correct. You cannot own the facts, just the expression of those facts. This does not take into account our lawsuit happy nation where people sue others at the drop of a hat without understanding the copyright law. Like the power tool seller that claims the use of the color yellow in all eBay listings. Or those Angle policies that lay claim to common design elements like squares and circles.



     
    bob maxey, May 16, 2012 IP