Questions tagged [copyright]
For questions about the property right statutorily granted to creative works. Please see the tag wiki and FAQ before asking the question.
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Digidyne v. Data General: how does this not legally protect Apple macOS running on non-Apple branded hardware?
I was just reading https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_General_RDOS#Antitrust_lawsuit which discusses Digidyne v. Data General:
When Data General introduced the Data General Nova, a company called ...
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Can companies use code that I wrote during a coding interview in their products?
Suppose a company's programmers are struggling to code a portion of a complex program. HR orders the questions of an upcoming interview to be replaced with that of the unfinished complex program. It ...
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Is it legal to format shift / strip DRM in the UK?
Suppose I have lawfully purchased an ebook for myself, on a permanent basis. Section 28B "Personal copies for private use" of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 seems pretty clear ...
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US Copyright Status of Software Source Code Created Prior to 1980?
I've been unable to find an answer to this even after doing extensive searching and I'm pretty good at searching if I do say so myself.
Does US copyright apply to software source code which has been ...
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How did software copyright work in the US before 1978?
Prior to the Copyright Act of 1976 (which, confusingly, only went into effect in 1978) the copyright rules were different. One of the things that was introduced was that after the beginning of 1978, ...
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The Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market, also known as EU Copyright Directive and file 2016/0280(COD)
Going to WikiPedia, I have been drawn attention to a new EU directive on Copyright.
The Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market, also known as EU Copyright Directive and file 2016/0280(...
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If the KJV is still in copyright in the UK could I have a problem if people buy something quoting it from the US?
I'm creating a Christian game with KJV quotes which will be printed and published -via self-publishing- in the US. I understand the KJV is in the public domain worldwide, except for the UK. Could I ...
JBG
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If I can prove that my drawing/illustration was constructed from various image references, can't I be prosecuted?
Background:
For my design work, I sometimes create portraits to illustrate campaigns and other media. In an effort to avoid mis-appropriating someone's likeness, I tend to draw from a collection of ...
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Copyright law and distribution terms for public versions or derivatives
The present question is a special case of Can one take BSD licensed code and distribute it under GPL?.
Looking recently at OpenBSD's LibreSSL, I've noticed that SSLeay that it traces its roots to (...
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Web Developer Portflolio Using Themes
I am a student just doing some freelance work over my summer break. I call myself a web "designer" as people in my country are more used to that term when they want a website created. I develop ...
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How far does fair-use apply for a source that contains several critiqued resources?
As far as I'm aware, if you're writing an article on a movie (or something similar), you can use screenshots and such from the movie to illustrate your points under fair use law.
Example: Under fair ...
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How can an inherited copyright be released under a Creative Commons license?
Alice created a work and died without publishing it. Bob and Charlie jointly inherited the copyright. Bob wants to release it under a Creative Commons license without involving Charlie. Can he do this?...
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Are maps from the Massachusetts State Transportation Library in the public domain?
MBTA is the transit agency for Greater Boston, Massachussetts, USA.
The website for the Massachusetts State Transportation Library contains many old MBTA maps and other transit-related items. A user ...
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Is the creation and usage of a full-text index (for full-text search in a document) a copyright infringement (EU)?
My research points towards "no".
From here:
Full Text Indexes Are Data About Books, and That’s Fair Use
From here:
full-text indexing is allowed as fair use under US copyright law. ...
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If a (US-based) website repeatedly allows users to post my copyrighted material what legal actions can I take?
I'm a university lecturer in Australia teaching mathematics. I produce question sheets for my students. It takes significant effort to produce high-quality questions. These question sheets are ...
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Does this usage fall under "fair use"?
I am considering writing an open source software, which would help writers and editors in their work.
For this means, it would incorporate suggestions based on statistical analysis of English book ...
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Does a merger clause nullify implied terms?
The SE legal link says that using SE constitutes an agreement to certain terms. Section 3 on subscriber content states that "all Subscriber Content that You contribute to the Network is perpetually ...
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Can the IEEE legally take a picture of an author anywhere, at any time, and use it in an ad?
I read in some IEEE copyright and consent form for a conference the following section:
In connection with the permission granted in Section 1, the author hereby grants IEEE the unlimited, worldwide,...
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How do sites like Imgur avoid Copyright infringement?
How do companies like Imgur avoid getting sued. Some of their users upload copyrighted material.
I want to build a site similar to Imgur, where the user can upload images and gifs.
I am worried ...
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Respecting MIT license in JavaScript files
In my website I am using some JavaScript libraries, released under the MIT license.
One of them is:
https://github.com/olado/doT
Now, the MIT license states:
The above copyright notice and this ...
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Copyright IP of own effort and the boundaries of "Capital asset" in IRS tax law, wrt. donations
In "Instructions for Form 8283"1, it says you can donate and deduct:
Intellectual property. The FMV of intellectual property
must be reduced to figure the amount of your deduction,
as explained ...
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Ingesting source files from other open source project into mine
I am publishing an open-source code project under the MIT-style license. I have the full notice in the LICENSE file of the source repository.
I want to take a whole file from another open-source ...
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Can I follow and make the similar to a state document that is open to the public
I am trying to make an Request for Proposal (RFP) and I found a similar one made by the state of NM. The RFP is open to the public; other parts are not as they are confidential. Can I make a similar ...
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Commercial/free third-party application to browse/watch YouTube, is that legal?
Let's say there is an internet browser that allows browsing/watching content from YouTube while blocking their ads. Also the browser can be a free or paid application, or can show ads from a third-...
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Blizzard's EULA for map editor claims that all content created in it is their sole property
Recently release Warcraft III Reforged's EULA includes this passage:
Ownership Custom Games are and shall remain the sole and exclusive property of Blizzard. Without limiting the foregoing, you ...
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How does statutory licensing under 17 USC Chapter 1 work?
In the U.S. there is a peculiar legal framework of "compulsory statutory licensing" that applies only to commercially published "non-dramatic musical" works and audio recordings. ...
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Is it okay to use a modified name of a well known brand in my game?
If for example, my game has a fast food restaurant in the world, can it be called WcDonald's instead of McDonald's to get around the issue of using a brand name?
I see this being done in other forms ...
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Do I have to keep encryption keys secret if I know they decrypt copyrighted content that was distributed without authorization?
Say someone else posts an encrypted file online, and challenges people to decrypt it.
Say I download the file headers, and I manage to determine the password. (Maybe it was a made-up word that only me ...
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Can I republish my derivative work using a new license?
Some background: the System Reference Document 5.1 ("SRD5") is an original work owned by Wizards of the Coast ("WotC"). WotC currently authorizes derivative works of SRD5 using two ...
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Are there any cases that establish a precedent regarding software patching?
My question concerns the legality of "software patching", specifically making changes to the compiled code of an existing third-party software application in order to alter its behavior. My ...
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On the Use of a Modified Refrain from "The Orange and the Green"
I would like to use in a new song a modified version of the refrain:
Oh, it is the biggest mix-up that you have ever seen.
My father, he was orange and me mother, she was green.
My refrain is not ...
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Can you modify then sell a legally obtained copy of a copyrighted work?
In some comments to Is it illegal to cut out a face from the newspaper? it came up whether you could legally buy an oil painting, add some stuff to it, and then sell it. I found that a provocative ...
user608
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Do I need explicit permissions to clone the FB login page for teaching and demonstration purposes?
We are in the business of training on Ethical Hacking. One of our modules shows a demo of the Social Engineering Toolkit. The demo involves cloning of the Facebook login page. One of our members felt ...
user1720897
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Is it legal to store back up image file copies?
Is it legal to download images from Google for just storing them (no commercial use and no distribution)? I just want to save back up copies of an image I found onto multiple hard drives and have no ...
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Does SolveForum abide by the CC BY-SA licence for StackExchange content?
I have noticed that SolveForum is replicating StackExchange questions, particularly their Biology Forum which seems to be replicating the Biology StackExchange questions (but not answers). While this ...
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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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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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Publishing an interview/conversations in a book without explicit consent
Let's say I've conducted an interview/conversation as the interviewer with someone. I didn't tell him I may publish that interview (in a book or elsewhere) as I wasn't thinking of publishing it at the ...
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If you happen to share the name of a very famous character, can you use it for your shop?
Assume that someone sharing the name of a famous character - just for a random Sample let's pick Leonard McCoy, James Kirk and Peter Parker - just happens to want to offer services under their name in ...
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In the US, is ink transfer from poster to canvas a copyright infringement (outside of Ninth Circuit)?
I ask because Canada and the EU's top courts have come to different conclusions. In Allposters, C‑419/13, the CJEU ruled that though the adaptation/derivative right was not harmonized within the EU, ...
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Are stack traces copyrightable?
I am considering to include stack traces in teaching materials and was thus wondering whether they were copyrightable and if so, who would own the copyright and what would that entail to them and to ...
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Attribution of a photo under the "GNU Free Documentation License 1.2"
What would be a way for attributing a photo using the GNU Free Documentation License 1.2 only?
Hypothetically, would this be one way? :
“Image by Jon Proctor. Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://...
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Can a game publisher restrict distributing homebrew cards?
Looney Labs' website contains the following (excerpted here; much longer there):
Q: Can I make copies of my home-brewed Fluxx (or Chrono, or Nano, etc.) deck to give free to my friends?
A: ...
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is creating an app/website/software which uses youtube-dl for videos download from YouTube legal?
I'm pretty sure that it won't be legal in some or the work way.
However, I want to clarify my doubt about legal issues again.
I read this article about it - is it legal to download youtube videos?
...
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Can the owner of a copyrighted work use an unauthorised derivative work?
Let's say a company makes video games and unauthorised fanart of one of the game's characters is made and posted on the internet. The company finds this fanart and uses it in merchandising etc.
Who ...
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Copyrights on technical specifications
I'd like to list technical specs for electronic products on my site. I want to compile it from different sources (other sites, not manufacturers). Is it OK to do that? Tech specifications have not ...
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Is it legal to crawl the internet and use content to inform ML models?
This is largely what Google (et al.) do -- crawling the web and informing models as to the associations between various things.
Copyright appears to mostly pertain to reproduction, which Google and ...
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Is it legal to include verbatim exercises from a book in videos/on a blog?
I live in Florida, U.S. I recently purchased a math book that I really like, and I am thinking about making a video series or a blog where I would succcessively resolve the exercises from the book.
...
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Does Unity's "Reference Only" license allow anything that copyrighted publication would not?
I recently encountered the Unity Reference-Only License.
Is there any freedom allowed by this license that wouldn't be allowed already simply by an "All Rights Reserved" copyrighted publication of ...
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Is work done on paid time off “work for hire” in California?
I am curious about this, because my understanding was that unless my employment contract stated to the contrary, work done in my spare time without using company resources is not “work for hire” in ...
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