using user submitted content from other sites

[rfung]

can someone shed any light on the right to use(i.e. copy) user submitted content from another site? for instance, if I copy a message from this forum and post it on my site, what if any, sort of legal trouble would be raised? if I quote it properly (saying something of the kind 'content provided by webmasterworld) would that help alleviate any legal concerns?

I'm thinking back to my college days, when quoting a published copyrighted article is fine as long as the source is properly indicated. Are we talking the same thing here, or there's more to it involved?

I've seen sites that for instance will quote the beginning of an article on another site, and then provide a link to them if they want to read the full article.(I'm not sure if they established a relationship of any kind). The gray-er area is that in my case, the content is provided by users of the site, rather than the owner of the site. They are also most often stated as opinions(i.e product reviews), rather than any sort of article.

[engine]

Many publishers have a statement about re-use of material. In most instances, it will say that you cannot copy material without permission. Even if it does say that, you would do well to ask permission. Sometimes permission is granted for re-use as agreed, otherwise, if it's not permitted you can't do it.

[rogerd]

In almost every case, wholesale copying is going to infringe someone's copyright whether or not you provide proper attribution and linkage. For forums, start by checking the TOS and/or copyright statements to see who claims ownership of posted material.

For articles appearing on websites, check the site to see if they have information on reuse of their content.

Unless you find a specific procedure for using content, always check with the copyright holder. Asking and getting permission is the only way to eliminate almost all risk of getting in legal difficulties.

Note that very short excerpts for purposes like reviews, commentary, etc., may constitute "fair use" - the rules on this aren't always black and white, though, so be cautious. If in doubt, ask permission.

[photon]

Most major sites will have a Terms of Service which will address this. For example, #23 from the TOS here:

23. You will not copy and retransmit any information out of these forums without first getting the permission of the original author of the message and a WebmasterWorld.com administrator.

Absent a TOS, I would still think you should contact the site owner and request permission.

You should also check out this entry from this forum's library: A suggestion about copyright questions [webmasterworld.com]