Legal Question in Technology Law in California

Copyright law for sentences

If you take a one or two sentences from say about 50 website pages and incorporate them into a new article is that copyright infringement?

What if you change the wording of those sentances but keep the meaning?


Asked on 11/21/07, 9:42 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Gordon Firemark Law Offices of Gordon P. Firemark

Re: Copyright law for sentences

Taking the ideas contained in the sentences is permissible, copyright law protects only the particular original expression of the ideas.

Also, if the amount you're copying from other sources is 'de minimus' (of minimal significance), you're probably on safe ground.

This kind of thing can be very fact specific, so re-wording is your best bet.

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Answered on 11/21/07, 12:45 pm


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