Comments on: What Copywriters Should Know About Copyrights

By: jackforde

jackforde — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 19:47:58 +0000

Copywriter Johannesburg » I kid you not, it happens. I’ve had people ask me how they can protect a story idea or a song they wrote. I tell them that all I do is draw the little circle around the “c” and leave the rest to someone else.

By: Copywriter Johannesburg

Copywriter Johannesburg — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 12:05:24 +0000

@ first comment. Yes that happens so often. Is copywriting that little known that we’re confused with copyrighters?

But otherwise great post. Thanks. Im a firm believer in idea ownership.

By: Best Copywriting Blogs: The Definitive List of Great Blogs for Marketing Copywriters and Content Developers

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 15:48:25 +0000

[...] What Copywriters Should Know About Copyrights [...]

By: jackforde

jackforde — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 14:17:09 +0000

@JP Bailey, MA: HI JP… Lots of great innovation is built on top of someone else’s great ideas. And a Google-search of “fair use” would probably answer a lot of your questions, too. But yes, the safe default is to AT LEAST make sure you mention who it is you’re paraphrasing. Even better is the general guideline for most normally-motivated folk (and you sound like one), which is that if you feel uneasy about how much derivative thinking you plan to use, it’s probably best to contact the source directly and ask. Most authors will agree with you on the value of the free advertising you’re giving their work. Also note that “fair use” is different in commercial speech like advertising. Generally, the closer you get to actually making money or selling something of your own with someone else’s idea, the more meticulous you need to be about citing your sources. re: Why “copy” is called copy… hmm… I’m not sure, but I bet it’s one of those interesting stories we’d all love to hear. I’ll look into it!

By: JP Bailey, MA

JP Bailey, MA — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 08:02:20 +0000

I’m writing a book, I’ve done A LOT of research, I’ve used alot of ideas – but I give credit, I cite the person or book or article that I got it from – even if I put it in my own words. Do I still need to ring them up and get their permission to quote them? I heard that is true only if you use more than a page.

I’ve gone through books and wrote up lists of things from the books but did not use the info in the same way they did in their book, nor did I copy word for word their writing, but I did feel a little bad taking down lists of symptoms they obviously did a lot of work on – but I’m the one who came up with the brilliant idea to use those symptoms in a whole new (helpful) way. I thought rather than cite, that I would say, “This work is strongly influenced and inspired by ‘author who wrote book’” and that way they are still mentioned even if I haven’t quoted them directly.

You’d think that if you cited properly you’re actually giving them FREE Advertising in your book, and you’re adding to their expert status. They say the greatest form of flattery is copying them.

copyRIGHT is your Rights, copyWRITE is your writing copy. Why do they call copy, copy anyway, why not call it an ad or sales page? Where did the word copy come from? Maybe because it’s all just copied from someone else…….. (just kidding.)
J’net
(very green newbie)

By: jackforde

jackforde — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 11:30:32 +0000

I’ve gone the other way… when I get that confused look, I just tell them I’m the guy hired to draw that little © symbol next to the printing date.

By: Rezbi

Rezbi — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 13:54:26 +0000

You might not be surprised to know the times I’ve told people I’m a copywriter, not realising they thought I meant copyrighter.

So now I just tell them I’m a marketing consultant who writes junk mail, as well.

Best,
Rezbi
http://commonsensedirectmarketing.com/