Well, Excuuuuuse Me for Trying to Protect You From a Lawsuit!
![Well, Excuuuuuse Me for Trying to Protect You From a Lawsuit! Well, Excuuuuuse Me for Trying to Protect You From a Lawsuit!](https://writersweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/stupid_1540047357-e1540047365341.jpg)
I had a not-so-pleasant experience with an author last week …
I had a not-so-pleasant experience with an author last week …
Someone gave an author my photographs, and claimed that they belonged to them. The author then used my photos in their book. Who do I contact regarding copyright infringement?
Online, I found two polls and a graph I want to use in my book. I believe that since it is for educational purposes, the fair use doctrine would apply. Is that right?
I want to write a book and it would feature an old story from a 1956 periodical. I have been trying to get a copyright permission to include this short story. However, the publisher was bought out a couple times. The new company put me on hold while they searched their records further, and told me that the “rightful owners” are a completely different firm in New York. I cannot find them on the Internet to contact them to get the needed copyright permission so that I can proceed with my book.
I am very interested in using a particular POD publisher for my book. But, I can’t find a link to their contract anywhere on their site. When I ask them for a copy, they just send more advertising mumbo jumbo. What should I do?
I am currently starting a third novel, and was wondering if legally if I could mention (fictional) characters from other works by name. Would I be able to mention (a very famous cartoon character) that my main character idolizes or would I need written permission from the companies that own those characters?
Now, I have nothing against erotica but I do know I wouldn’t want the most romantic moment of my life splashed on the cover of a book containing phrases like “out comes his stone pillar of a (part of the male anatomy)” and “my quivering flesh, open and available.” You get the picture, right?
If I reference a book and/or the authors of that book, do I have to get written permission from them? Is it enough just to list them in my reference section?
I want to publish my novel with BookLocker (it’s my nature) about liability, as the novel is based on a true story. I’ve read your articles, as well as many others, about this issue, but am hesitant to proceed even after doing the obvious–changing characters’ names, appearances, and facts, so they don’t resemble the real people or exact events. Some of the principles of the true story are deceased, but at least one that I know of is still living. I think you mentioned that a lawyer should vet a novel, but I can’t afford that. My question: Am I worrying needlessly?
Has someone recently told you it’s okay to grab, alter, and republish someone else’s material from Pinterest or another website? If so, you should be very wary of that individual’s ethics and so-called expertise…