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AIBU?

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Original poster

Please help me before I explode

51 replies

Mrswhiskerson · 03/05/2011 23:49

I am starting a buisness and I want to use quotes and poetry on my products, does anyone know of copyright laws or know who I should ask?

The reason I am going to explode is all
my life I have wanted my own business and have spent years trying to think of the right thing and finally I have found it my amazing dh has helped me with names and has been so supportive , I am sonexcites it gets me out of bed in the morning and after three months of pretty bad depression it feels amazing .
Unfortunately until I know if I can use other peoples quotes I can't get started an it's driving me mad.

Also I want to give a percentage of my profits to a charity for peoplel who have suffered domestic violence , does anyone know the best charity?

OP posts:
EvenLessNarkyPuffin · 03/05/2011 23:54

You don't know if you can use the quotes but you're already planning what to do with the profits? I'm glad you're feeling positive but you might want to take a step back.

JeremyKylesPetProject · 03/05/2011 23:58

Are you sure you're ready to start a business?Hmm

K999 · 03/05/2011 23:59

You could perhaps use them if you acknowledge the source? If they're ancient, they're probably not subject to copyright laws anyway....

thelambliesdown · 04/05/2011 00:00

Go to your local library-they should be able to tell you what you do ,and don't, need copyright for, or at least point you in the right direction. Good luck!

DaphneHeartsFred · 04/05/2011 00:01

Start here?

Mamaz0n · 04/05/2011 00:03

So long as the poems are not printed with a C in a circle linkng to the copyright owner you should be good.

What sort of poems were you thinking of?

As for a charity I would suggest either your local Refuge or independant DV support network.
Starting up a business is stressfull and emotionally draining. Make sure you have the strength to go through it all whilst remaining kind to yourself.

good luck

JeremyKylesPetProject · 04/05/2011 00:09

I admire the fact that you want to donate some profits to charity but only after your business is up and running, turning over nicely, paying for itself and giving you a living wage right?

I went too far didn't I?

Original poster
Mrswhiskerson · 04/05/2011 00:54

Just a bit jeremykylespetproject I am actually going to donate from the start , domestic violence is a subject close to my heart and if I can help other people get the help they need than that would make me very happy , I have felt guilty and angry for years that I couldn't do more for a relative of mine who suffered dv and when she looked for help there was none . I have spent years trying to figure out a way to help people going through the same .

I do feel ready to start the buisness like i said before it has given me a reason to get up and excited about life again coupled with medication and counselling it is also something I can do in my spare time so there isn't the pressure of having to make a livable wage as we both work already I am taking it at my own pace and am funding it myself so there is no outside pressure.

Thanks for links and advice I will certainly use them.

OP posts:
alicethehorse · 04/05/2011 01:11

I learnt (and promptly forgot!) this stuff in college recently, I'll look it up for you.

In the meantime all I can remember is there's different rules for different formats - e.g. song lyrics, literature etc. I think most things come completely out of copyright something like 75 years after the person has died (or is it 50?!)

And I wonder if you're just using a quote taken from something much larger if copyright applies in the same way?

For starters, you can be sure if it's really old it's fair game anyway!

I'll look it up anyway, I should know this stuff!

Do you have a website by the way? I'm not promising anything necessarily, but I'm studying digital media and I'm looking for some websites to practice on this summer (for free!).

alicethehorse · 04/05/2011 01:12

To be clear, what I meant by that is if you have't got a website I could possibly make you one - not that I wanted to take on an existing one!

Original poster
Mrswhiskerson · 04/05/2011 01:18

I don't have a website motherofallhangovers and I really need one But funds won't strecth to it at the minute.
Pm me with some details we could maybe work something out? Do you create websites?
Thanks for your help I really appreciate it .

OP posts:
Original poster
Mrswhiskerson · 04/05/2011 01:21

Some quotes I want to use are author unknown others are very old poetry and I am thinking of using things famous people have said , in answer to other questions the product will work with or without the qoutes and poetry but better with.

OP posts:
Original poster
Mrswhiskerson · 04/05/2011 01:23

If you could make me one that would be great , I don't have one at all so any help in that area would be much appreciated.

OP posts:
ChunkyPickle · 04/05/2011 02:17

Mamaz0n - that's just plain wrong - works are copyright whether the symbol is there or not.

Mamaz0n · 04/05/2011 08:36

which is why i said "should" i did not state it as fact. no reason to be quite so aggressive

AlmightyCitrus · 04/05/2011 09:02

Google copyright free quotes.
I got this: www.repeatafterus.com/
(obviously check each one before you use it)
Good luck!

MsGee · 04/05/2011 09:03

I work with a couple of DV charities and would be happy to put you in touch with an excellent one that would be happy to receive any funds. Otherwise, I would say to choose a local refuge. Don't go for the big, national charities - your money won't have the same impact and frankly, the corporate team will consider you small fry. Smaller local charities will be more in need and will build a relationship with you.

thederkinsdame · 04/05/2011 09:05

No, you can't. Copyright laws mean that you must seek permission from the author of the work - you need to contact them, explain what it's for and wait for them to grant a permission. If it is work published in print form you may very well be asked to pay a fee to use it, whereby you will be granted a licence. This can be for a certain number of years, or in perpetuity. You could pay anything upwards of £75 for a sentence...

thederkinsdame · 04/05/2011 09:06

Should have said, as well, that if the author of the work is dead, in many cases their estate will hold © or it will have passed to an heir. HTH

CoffeeInTheMorning · 04/05/2011 09:17

If you wanted to quote a line from a pop song or something it can cost from £500 upwards. I read an article from an author that said it can be really prohibitive when they want to head up chapters with a quote from a contemporary poem or a song, and the publishers won't agree to it because of the costs.

gawdblimey · 04/05/2011 09:36

it's spelt BUSINESS btw

slowshow · 04/05/2011 09:43

Copyright law is a very, VERY murky world (I'm a librarian, so I know!) and you can get yourself into serious trouble if you start using poetry and quotes without being crystal clear that it's permissable.

I'd recommend contacting the Copyright Licensing Agency for advice: www.cla.co.uk/

thederkinsdame makes a good point - even if an author is dead, it doesn't mean the copyright isn't owned by the estate/family.

TheyKnowEsperanto · 04/05/2011 10:02

copyright subsists in a work whether there is a circle and a c or not - if you create something (music, prose, poetry) you have copyright which you can assert. There are limited exceptions to copying (fair use etc) but I don't think you'd fall into that camp MrsWhiskerson. I think donating a percentage of your profits to a DV charity is lovely but be careful that you do it once the company is breaking even, otherwise you might as well start donating now out of your own pocket. And don't forget to use GiftAid if you can so that the charity benefits from the tax break.

slowshow · 04/05/2011 10:09

Fair use doesn't apply when something is copied for commercial purposes - i.e. a business.

Original poster
Mrswhiskerson · 04/05/2011 15:30

Hi. Thanks for the spelling lesson I'm looking at you gawdblimey I do however feel it is rather rude to point out someones spelling mistake or grammatical error in public or on a forum.
I have been doing further reasearch on quotes and all the ones I want to use are author unknown ,am I free to use those?
Once again thanks for the great advice it has really helped.
mrsgee if you could send me some information on the charities you work with I would be very appreciative .

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