Skip to main content

Fair Usage

open laptop with various images on the screen beside a plant, tablet, and headphones

Having worked in communications and being aware of copyright issues, I am doing my best to set up my blog and social media in a way that does not infringe on anyone's rights. While I am starting to introduce some of my own pictures, I am also reliant on royalty-free stock images, such as Pixabay. Reading and adhering to their content license summary means that I am trying to be extra careful in what I select and how I use it, regardless of my limited scope and reach. If you hover over any of the images I have used on here, you will see the attribution information 🙂

Right now, I am researching fair usage of book covers for book reviews, one of the things that I am eager to embark on. In wanting to do this right, I have found some interesting articles that speak to this matter:

Since book covers are copyrighted by nature, this led me down another interesting rabbit hole about the cover's rights and their ownership:

In conclusion, it looks like book covers are copyrighted, but would fall under Fair Dealing in Canada where, "Canadians enjoy fair dealing protections as a right for research, private study, education, parody, satire, criticism, review, and news reporting [emphasis mine]. These activities are not copyright infringement...." This is similar in the States where the U.S. Copyright Office Fair Use Index states the following:

Fair use is a legal doctrine that promotes freedom of expression by permitting the unlicensed use of copyright-protected works in certain circumstances. Section 107 of the Copyright Act provides the statutory framework for determining whether something is a fair use and identifies certain types of uses—such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research—as examples of activities that may qualify as fair use.

From what I've read, fair dealing and usage can also be extended to advertising activity, and as book reviews are a form of promotion, it seems that most authors would want this to take place (some of the blogs above mention the rarity of being sued for such a good-faith act).

Copyright law itself seems to be complex and fascinating, especially for a non-lawyer like me. For a look at some of the other sites I came across while delving into this topic, check out:

While fair dealing and usage would apply to my book reviews, I will likely take the cautious route and be selective in just using book covers where I can and either relying on personal pictures or royalty-free pictures for the remainder of the graphics. As a Christian, I want to be above reproach in these ethical matters, but also be open to learning if I have done something incorrectly and fixing those errors right away.

Credit for this post: Much thanks to Shannon at The Reel Bookery for bringing this topic to the forefront of readers' minds! She is well worth following for her amazingly creative bookish content, along with her passion to stand up for others through various initiatives she's undertaken.

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Things I'm Not Supposed to Do

It's interesting to discover what people should be and shouldn't be doing when they share about books online. More and more, I feel like there can be a backlash against anything now, to the point where anyone with a passion for books can feel paralyzed in offering their own bookish content. For the large part, I try to tune out these things because it's ever-changing, and if it's not one thing, it'll be another. I'm sad when people feel stifled due to these capricious "rules" that half (if not more of) the time seem to keep people from excitedly engaging in what they love most. I'm thankful that I've received immense support from the reading community when I first started out, so I want to encourage anyone who is thinking of jumping in with their personal approach to books by sharing how I practically break the following ten rules covering things from content generation to materials access: I'm not supposed to use Canva for my book posts.  ...
2 comments
Read more

Review: Entanglements - Finding Ever After #2

Last week, I shared about the first novella in the Finding Ever After anthology. I'm grateful that I was able to borrow the second novella in this book, Entanglements by Rachel McMillan , from Kindle Unlimited. I wish I could read the other half of the collection; however, I'm glad that two books exist out there to access! Book Synopsis Nic Ricci is a North End piano tuner and part time math tutor who wants nothing more than to compose; but there are few pennies to be found and an ailing father to support. When a well-paying opportunity arises as a rehearsal pianist for a wealthy heiress giving a recital at the Boston Conservatory, Nic grabs at the chance. He does not, however, anticipate a beautiful, intelligent woman frustratingly accompanied by a chaperone and promised to a brute of a fiance. Esther Hunisett is trapped by her father’s poor business decisions, her dowry and future attached to a man who will save her family’s estate. With little to barter before her life is ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! May you have a blessed day, celebrating the birth of our Saviour. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. - Luke 2:11 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. - Isaiah 9:6
Post a Comment
Read more