Can I quote excerpts from a book in my blog?
August 13, 2022 | 40,00 EUR | answered by Edith Fischer
Dear Media Law Attorney,
I have a question regarding the use of text passages from books on my blog. My name is Ben Lange and I run a blog where I regularly write about literature topics. In my next post, I would like to quote excerpts from a book to draw my readers' attention to interesting passages and to support my analysis.
My goal is to make my blog engaging and informative, but I am unsure if I can simply use text passages from the book. I do not want to cause any legal issues, so I am wondering if it is allowed to quote short excerpts from a book and how I should proceed to avoid copyright infringement.
I want to make sure that I respect the rights of the authors and do not violate any laws. Are there specific rules or guidelines that I need to follow if I want to publish text passages from a book on my blog? Is there a certain length or number of quotes that are considered appropriate and legal?
I appreciate your professional advice and ask for your assessment on how best to proceed in this case. I look forward to your response and am eager to hear your suggestions on how I can legally structure my blog posts.
Sincerely,
Ben Lange
Dear Mr. Lange,
Thank you for your inquiry regarding the use of text passages from books on your blog. It is understandable that you want to ensure that you do not commit any copyright infringements and respect the rights of the authors. In fact, there are some important legal aspects that you should consider when quoting text passages from books.
In Germany, the right to quote is regulated in the Copyright Act. This means that you may quote short excerpts from a protected work as long as it is done within the scope of the freedom to quote. This freedom to quote allows you to use text passages to support your own opinion or analysis, provided that the quotes are appropriate and justified in content.
It is important that the quoted text passages serve as evidence for your own argumentation and are not simply used as a substitute for your own thoughts. In addition, the quotes should be clearly marked as such by indicating the author and the source. It is advisable not to quote more than a few sentences or paragraphs to ensure that you are within the scope of the right to quote.
Furthermore, you should ensure that the use of the text passages does not have a negative impact on the commercial value of the original work. This means that you should not quote substantial parts of the book that constitute the core of the work or could affect the market for the book.
It is also recommended that you always indicate the source of the quoted text passages to make it clear where the quotes come from. If possible, you should also obtain permission from the author or publisher, especially if you want to quote longer passages.
Overall, it is important that you handle the use of text passages from books responsibly and ensure that you respect the rights of the authors. By following the guidelines mentioned above, you can ensure that your blog posts are legally compliant and provide interesting and informative content for your readers.
I hope that this information is helpful to you and I am available if you have any further questions.
Sincerely,
Edith Fischer
Media Law Attorney
