Can I quote excerpts from a book without having to obtain the author's permission?
December 4, 2022 | 30,00 EUR | answered by Alice Falk
Dear Copyright Lawyer,
My name is Friedhelm Schulz and I have a question regarding citing excerpts from a book. I am currently working on a research paper and would like to quote some text passages from a book to support my argumentation. However, I am unsure if I need to obtain permission from the author for this.
The situation is as follows: I have read a book that contains relevant information and quotes for my work. Now, I would like to use these quotes in my own work to bolster my own thoughts and arguments. I want to proceed correctly and legally in order to not commit any copyright infringements.
My concern is that I may potentially violate copyright if I quote excerpts from the book without obtaining the author's explicit permission. Therefore, I want to make sure that I respect the author's rights and do not suffer any legal consequences from my quotes.
My question to you as an expert in copyright law is: Am I allowed to quote excerpts from a book without needing the author's permission? Are there specific rules or guidelines that I need to follow when citing text passages from books in order to act legally? What possible solutions are there to ensure that my quotes are in compliance with copyright law?
Thank you in advance for your support and advice.
Sincerely,
Friedhelm Schulz
Dear Mr. Schulz,
Thank you for your inquiry regarding citing excerpts from a book in your academic work. I understand your concerns regarding possible copyright violations and will gladly provide you with all relevant information on this topic.
In general, it is allowed to cite excerpts from a book without having to obtain the author's explicit permission. This falls under the right to quote, which is enshrined in German copyright law. The right to quote allows for protected works such as books to be quoted to support one's own thoughts and arguments to a reasonable extent. However, certain rules and guidelines must be followed to act legally.
First and foremost, it is important that the quotes are appropriate and in a factual context with your own text. It should be clear that they are quotes and not your own ideas. Additionally, the quotes must not constitute the core of the work or impair the commercial value of the original work.
Furthermore, it is important to correctly attribute the source of the quotes. This includes the author's name, the title of the work, the page number, and, if applicable, the year of publication. Properly citing the source makes it clear that the text passages are from another source and are not claimed as one's own intellectual property.
To ensure that your quotes comply with copyright law, I recommend conducting thorough source research and correctly labeling all quotes. If you are unsure whether your quotes meet the legal requirements, you can also have a plagiarism check performed to identify potential issues early on.
I hope that this information has been helpful to you. If you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Alice Falk
Copyright Lawyer
