DISCLAIMER: I am not an intellectual property lawyer, and the information contained in this post and embedded video should not be taken as legal advice.
After learning the ropes and diligently performing your niche research, you’ve got your first killer low-content book idea.
You really want this baby to succeed, and you’ve got some fresh inspirational quotes in mind to help elevate your book and allow it to proudly stand out amongst the crowd.
But what are the real rules around using quotes in your low-content books? Everyone else seems to be doing it, but is it truly legit?
Or will your first published low-content book have you selling everything you own in order to pay off a jillion dollar lawsuit slapped on you by the enraged author of the quote you pilfered?
Fortunately, you’re not likely to be appearing as the next guest on Judge Judy if you use a properly attributed quote in one of your books. But there are definitely rules to be aware of, and reasons to proceed with caution.
In today’s video, I’ll be taking you through the basic guidelines for using quotes in your low-content books.
The Very Basic Rules
Use a quote if it’s in the public domain:
- The person who said it died over 70 years ago
- It’s part of a national anthem
- It’s a generic phrase
Don’t use a quote if it’s protected by copyright or trademark:
- quotes from books, poems, plays, TV shows, movies, speeches
- Its author is still alive, or been dead for less than 70 years
- quotes or phrases granted trademark from the USPTO
Once again, please remember: I am not an intellectual property lawyer, and if you have further questions regarding the usage of a particular quote—or quotes in general—that is the person to ask.
Enjoy the video!
Some handy links for further reading:
- Printsome.com: Does Copyright Protect Quotes? A Quick Way to Know
- EmilyMcDowell.com: Using Famous Quotes on Products—When is it Okay?
- The Copyright Society of the US
- United States trademark database: USPTO
FREE GUIDE: 3 Steps to Publishing Your First Low-Content Book in Less Than a Day
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