Internet writing legalities....

Suppose I wanted to write a book consisting entirely of totally random quotations found on various internet forums,
but due to their content I would have to use them "as is",
meaning I wouldn't be able to tweak them about just to have the gist of it or their purpose would be lost.

For example, say I am writing a book about M, but I want to make it look like a real web chat or forum discussion.
Hence, the actual quotations. and nicks. (although, nicks I could change)

How does that sounds from the legal perspective? Would I get in any trouble?

Am I supposed to share my sales earnings, if any, with the quotations' real authors in case when somebody
does recognize his or her writings, and demands restitution or whatever?

Or, in the matters of Internet, whatever you put out there on public forum becomes public property for anyone to grab so, hit the road jack ?

Risa

not as dicey as you think. U.S. / Canadian copywrite laws may differ. as a terms of agreement, your postings could become property of the site.

a lot of variables to this.

so if you write a book, you can use this with my permission.

"Migraines Blow"

-mgb

Copywrite law is dicey. I'll look in to it. Isn't Bubbs in the publishing world? She might know.

Remember to comment on how funny, beautiful and sexy Charlotte is.

lol
I love you guys

I'll wait then for Bubbs.
hey, Buuuubbs?

Bubbs???

Bubbsie? honey ???? watcha doin'??

Risa

you would require written permission from anyone you wanted to quote, copying from the internet will be a legal minefield!

I suspected that, too. eh, so much for a budding quotation-al writer...


Risa

I don't know about all the legalities, but at least when I was teaching about plagiarism in grad school in the early 2000's, I learned that everything that anyone writes is automatically copyrighted. However, if the person doesn't get a formal copyright from the official copyright office, the most that the person can sue for is actual damages, not anything extra. So they would be able to sue for any money that you got out of the publication, not just because you used their words. But that's U.S. law; I don't know Canadian law.

Thank you so much Vicky!

Risa