Need To Know Info On Copyright

Perhaps you know everything you need to know about copyright. Perhaps you don't.

The law offices of Fenwick & West LLP has put together a video "refresher" or "primer" that promised to tell you "just enough."

https://public.fenwick.com/External-eLearning/CopyrightRefresher/story_html5.html

Highly recommended.  It's twenty minutes very well spent. Imagine what it would cost if you had to pay an intellectual property lawyer to explain things to you!

In the same vein (and you might like the etymology of that phrase) the law offices of Womble Carlyle Sandridge and Rice LLP published a very nice guide to Best Practices for using and linking to other people's stuff. (It is company/business-related, but applicable for any author.)

http://www.wcsr.com/Insights/Articles/2017/May/Best-Practices-for-Using-ThirdParty-Content-on-Your-Companys-Website

Their advice is in bullet points. Some of it, you need to know, but it will be a hassle to follow. Who reads the TOS of websites? But, if you want to snag content from a website, you really should read that site's TOS.

Two of their bullet points are similar to prose advice that I've often repeated or generated. (And, I'd like to make it very clear that the comment below is my own and not a misrepresentation of their bullet points... because their TOS say that one may share or quote their stuff, as long as one does not misrepresent what they said!)

My version is: "Don't believe someone who claims that the ebooks he is selling on an auction site or giving away online is "his personal library" or is "free to use" or is "in the public domain".  He may not know better. Ask yourself if it is to his advantage to know."

All the best!
Rowena Cherry