Copying from other websites

Need an answer for a discussion

[Kongen]

Hi, i run a website, where we post some news.

Sometimes we find news articles on other websites, which could also be used on ours. Now how are the rules about this?

1. Can i copy the whole article and just paste it to my website?
2. Can i copy the whole article and just paste it to my website, as long as i mention where i got it from?
3. Can i only copy quotes from the article, and just paste it to my website?
4. Can i only copy quotes from the article, and paste it to my website, when i mention where i got the article from?
5. Is it allowed to quote the whole news and add 1 line of Your own?

I know i can read the article, and write them with my own words :-)

But I Hope you can help me, as i do not want us to do something we're not allowed to do.

[uncle_bob]

In my opinion (as someone who's had content copied) ..

Options 1,2,& 5 are copyright infringment and ethically wrong.
Option 4 is Probably 'Fair Use' but not mentioning the source is ethically wrong.
Option 5 would be ok, as long as you only quote a small amount (say one paragraph?).

Option 6 - Email the website, and ask them if you can copy their article. If it's a press release, they may be happy for you to copy it wholesale.

[Macro]

>>Can i copy the whole article and just paste it to my website?

What do you really think on this? What if you were running a news site and were paying your journalists a lot of money to dig out news and write about it? I'd be interested in your thoughts.

From the original post I'll take it that we are not talking Press Releases

[Kongen]

I agree with Uncle bob totally, but i need the answers, as i am discussing this issue with a friend.

I have told the people that write on our site, that it was not allowed to copy articles, but only to quote from articles, and in the meantime mentioning the source, and place a link to full article.

[jasonlambert]

1. Can i copy the whole article and just paste it to my website?
NO. not without permission from the author.

2. Can i copy the whole article and just paste it to my website, as long as i mention where i got it from?
NO. not without permission from the author.

3. Can i only copy quotes from the article, and just paste it to my website?
Yes, you may use a small extract, but you must quote the source. For more information see:
[copyright.gov...]

4. Can i only copy quotes from the article, and paste it to my website, when i mention where i got the article from?
it depends, see 3.

5. Is it allowed to quote the whole news and add 1 line of Your own?
NO. Not without permission from the author.

I know i can read the article, and write them with my own words :-)
Yes you can, but also be aware when doing this that the flow of the article must be substantially different enough from the original. Be VERY aware that changing the odd sentance does not constitute writing the article in your own words.

[Kongen]

Thanks alot for your answer. Nice to have it cut out. And a link to refer to :-)

[MarketingWiz]

A general rule of thumb is that - 3 words in a row - is the most that you may copy, when rewriting a copyrighted peice. However, titles are not covered by copyright.

For those who may not know, a copyright exists on all written works -- instantly and automatically. Using the symbols - (c) 2004 Your Name All rights reserved. -is always a good idea.

This is not to imply that there are no advantages for a legally recognized copyright, on file with the US copyright office. As stated in an earlier thread... the .gov website is the place for that.