Questions tagged [copyright]
For questions about the property right inherent in a creative work. Please see the tag wiki and FAQ before asking the question.
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Can a typeface always distributed in digital form be recreated by hand?
Typefaces are not protected by copyright, fonts (the implementation) are.
Does this mean that a typeface always distributed in digital format (mostly recent typefaces from the 2000s and beyond) can be ...
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What parts of cracking (tampering with the copyrighted software) are actually illegal?
I would like to know whether software cracking is considered illegal broadly (in the way that drugs are, for example, broadly illegal in many western countries), or is it a more complex question. I am ...
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Can I use my own Stack Exchange answer in a book?
I’ve seen some similar questions, but was wondering about a more specific case. I wrote a Stack Exchange answer, and would like to use it in one section of a book I’m writing (which will be ...
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How is derivative text material copyrighted within an older manuscript?
This is an adenum to to a previous question: How is the copyright of the derivative work dated? For example; an author writes a book in 2009 and in 2020, re-edits the book with new material. Does this ...
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Copyrightability of Third Party Technical Specifications
Lately I've been writing a lot of specifications of (MIDI-ish) music formats for old commercial video games based on my own research (I have no access to anything by the games' authors). To what ...
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It is illegal to reverse engineer proprietary file formats?
The file formats MPQ and CASC are two container formats developed by Blizzard in 1996 and 2014 respectively. Both formats are proprietary and there's no official specification. If these formats are ...
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What is a binary form in software BSD license (and other licenses that didn't define it)?
BSD license says (emphasis mine):
Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met...
It sounds "...
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Is it legal to use minecraft and minecraft mods in a for profit video?
Is it legal to make youtube videos about historical events using minecraft and minecraft mods? How to ensure the rule of fair-use is fulfilled when using these games and fan-made contents?
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Are copyright licenses as binding as some particular rules stated by the creator of intellectual property?
I have a somewhat general question about copyright licenses but that can be more easily understood with an example.
Imagine that I wished to apply a Creative Commons license (CC) to work that I ...
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Is each version of a software considered a "derivative work"?
Originally asked in Software Engineering but a user raised it is more a legal question than an engineering one.
Let's suppose there is a software at version a1 in code repository A on an online code ...
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Parade floats - Copyright Infringement or Fair Use?
In various countries in Europe, we have these parades in which floats drive around in a parade. These floats are sort of forms of art displayed to the public during a parade, thereafter often sold or ...
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Is an automatically generated link to an illegally copied file legal? [duplicate]
I'm thinking of writing a decentralized (not fully peer to peer, but I don't think that matters here) file sharing network program. Servers can inform other servers of files they have available; the ...
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Can minors publish open source software?
If a minor releases software under a FOSS license, is the license binding? Could the minor sue a violator?
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It is legal to create a video game featuring "murlocs"?
In the Warcraft universe, "murlocs" are fish-like living creatures that usually have a green or blue skin. It is legal to create a game featuring "murlocs" outside of Warcraft? (...
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How much change to a company’s copyrighted picture is needed?
A picture of a slipcover on a company's website- a company's sofa will always look the same. If you had the sofa picture would look the same so how can it be modified enough? I understand you can't ...
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Find out if "Further reproduction prohibited without permission" document is original
There are many documents containing "Reproduced with permission of copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission". I'd like to read those which were legally uploaded. ...
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Copyright situation of small parts of different YouTube videos put together creatively?
In my YouTube channel I want to make a video about topic x. Now I find that in a number of other videos on YouTube there are content about x. I take small parts of each of these videos (a couple of ...
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Can I convert an emoji to PNG or SVG and use them as an clipart in my videos,games,logos etc
Hey everyone I am bit confused with emojis license. I have made a website that convert an emoji into PNG and SVG.
Curious to know if they can be used as an clipart(commercial purpose) in videos,games,...
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Is it a copyright violation to use (C) texts I legally own to train an A.I.?
Let's use J.K. Rowlings and Shakespeare as an example. I want to train an A.I. to produce stories that look like a mix of both author's styles. The real example should use over 40 different authors, ...
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Do I need to give credit to the original writer if I rewrote something in my own words?
Situation
Suppose I have built a computer program which fetches articles from websites, rewrites them and posts them.
Since I'm rewriting the article I think copyright law is not violated since ...
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Implications of asking somebody to use their copyrighted content
I would like to use sombodys content from a youtube channel which has a copyright. The general advise is to "ask for permission" to do so. I wonder now what the implications are if the ...
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Google's Terms of Service
How to interpret Google's Terms of Service with respect to this statement: "You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, or lease any part of our services or software" that can be found under ...
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Does use of a dictionary count as commercial use
Does use of a dictionary on a website count as commercial use if I use its translations manually when writing some document that is used in business? Moreover, if there is a note in the website's ...
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The copyright issue of a movie review on YouTube
I want to review one part of a movie (less than 15 min of it) in my channel in YouTube. I will review the part from a different angle, interpret it differently from a psychological and philosophical ...
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If I buy a song on Bandcamp, can I then use that song in my audio streaming website project accessible by the public?
I want to replicate this site here (note I am not a non-profit like freeCodeCamp):
https://coderadio.freecodecamp.org/
I'd like to repurpose it to feature a different genre of music. To accomplish ...
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What is the copyright status, in the US, of the old USSR textbooks?
The textbooks published in the USSR had their copyright listed as "The Ministry of Education of the USSR." I am not interested in the "author rights." I am only interested in the ...
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How many words from a poem can be used as a title of a separate work of art before I should ask permission?
How many words from a poem can be used as a title of a separate work of art before asking permission?
I understand that were a composer to create an orchestra piece inspired by a poem, but not using ...
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Is it legal to put clips/images of Eye catch of series on my website?
Hey so I was kinda thinking of making this website sort of a lookup database like website with a list of all shows and a link to all their eye catches(images or clips). I was just wondering if this ...
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Is it legal to download subtitle files for study?
I am currently studying a foreign language at an upper intermediate level. One of the ways I've been encouraged to work on fluency is to watch movies in my target language with subtitles in the ...
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Counter DMCA Google play
Suppose that a person received a DMCA takedown notice about a month ago and has filed a couple of counter notices, but and always gets an automated response saying "We are unable to take ...
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Is it legal to only copy all the words from a dictionary?
I am dealing with a language that has only one published physical dictionary so far. I need a list of all words from that language. The dictionary has a traditional copyright text:
All rights ...
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Is bypassing Content Security Policy illegal?
In HTTP protocol, there is so called Content Security Policy (CSP) that (among other things) allows the creator of a site to disallow browsers to put the site framed inside another site. All ...
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Does a non exclusive non transferable data license allow the re-use of this data to be shared through a public API service?
We are a commercial company that wants to offer easy access to EU geographic boundaries spatial data through an API service. The API service would be freely accessible for limited use. No charges are ...
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Can I use images fetched by Google Image APIs to use as content images on my webapp?
I have a webapp where people can manage their packing plans for outdoor activities. In those packing plans they can add items like backpacks, boots, etc.
They are also able to upload images for ...
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Is it legal to allow users to upload their own music to an app for baseball walkout songs?
Ballpark DJ and Walkout Song DJ both allow users to upload music from their phone storage to play as walkout music or inning break songs for baseball games. BallparkDJ also allows using Amazon and ...
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What exactly is the difference between owning something and having a license with no restrictions?
If someone owns something does that mean they are free to do with it whatever they want, as long as they don't break the law? Or can someone own something with additional restrictions imposed on it? ...
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How illegal would it be to use fictional locations, companies, etc. from a video game in a different video game?
Let's say I wanted to create a knock-off GTA-esqe game.
If I wanted to use locations like Los Santos, San Andreas, Blaine County, Paleto Bay, etc. would there be any IP concerns?
If I wanted to use ...
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Is it legal to put a photo of someone else's art on Facebook?
I was in a building that is publicly accessible and I took a photo of paintings they had hanging on the wall.
Is it legal for me to post it on social media such as Facebook, or would this be copyright ...
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Providing hyperlinks to another website that is publicly accessible. (UK Law)
I have a question about the ability to link to another website, either through hyperlinks alone, or by also using the thumbnail of the hyperlink. This question is specifically relating to the UK (if ...
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In a copyright statement, should the year or copyright holder go first?
I have seen both of the following formats used:
Copyright © Some Company 2021-2022
Copyright © 2021-2022 Some Company
Which one of these is correct? Which should go first? If both are valid, are there ...
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Legality of avoiding paywalls
Many news sites have paywalls to incentivise people to pay them for their content. There are a number of ways one can get access to this content, depending on the form of the paywall:
f12
In some ...
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Can text be copyrighted before it is published in printed form?
For example, can a textual work in progress be registered with the US Copyright Office before or once it is published online? Related: Can additions, edits, and deletions be made in a copyrighted ...
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Can a Contract supersede public domain/copyright
A book published in 1875 is in the public domain.
A scan of it possibly being copyrightable in certain jurisdictions by "sweat of the brow" logic is not copyrightable in every jurisdiction.
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What is considered a derivative work?
US Copyright law defines "derivative work":
A “derivative work” is a work based upon one or more preexisting works, such as a translation, musical arrangement, dramatization, ...
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Is downloading leaked malware source code illegal [US]?
I've seen similar questions regarding leaked data/malware, and from what I've seen, it appears that code, regardless of legality, is under copyright, and therefore shouldn't be possessed. But can the ...
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Is it allowed to share propaganda materials for educational purposes? Materials that incite violence and justify killing of certain people?
I have found and fully subtitled a pro-war propaganda video from a Russian TV channel. The channel is banned in most of the world. The video is aimed at school children and justifies the war and ...
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How do I know if a game I made is copyrighted?
I am using the unreal engine that supports c++ language. Now I don't know anything about copyright and I don't know how to know anything about it. I live in Egypt. I worked on a game for 8 months. ...
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Is a website using behind the scenes software X a "copy" or "substantial portion" of software X?
The MIT license says:
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.
Bob finds a nice piece of MIT-licensed software ...
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How can a person legally create a site to download an app and profit from the site?
Does a site operator need a permission from the app owner by a contract or something like that to run a site where people pay for and download apps? If this is true how can someone get such permission?...
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Can a software license restrict copyright of (non-derivative) works created with that software?
MacroHard, a US-based corporation, creates a software, Acrylic, to make pictures/diagrams. The software allows to draw some basic forms (rectangles, circles, stars etc.). If it matters, suppose the ...
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