How to quote safely?

Do you record videos on YouTube or TikTok?

Are you thinking about writing your own book or guide?

Or perhaps you simply want to learn how to safely use other authors' texts, photos, or videos in your own work?

No matter the form in which you express yourself and your creativity, you have surely encountered (perhaps even unknowingly) more than one opportunity to use someone else's work.

In our previous post, we explained how to safely use stock photos. If this topic interests you, be sure to take a look here.

Today, however, we will address a slightly different subject, though one definitely connected to the use of others' works, namely, quotation.

Quotation often raises a sense of unease.

Living in a modern reality, it is frequently necessary in the creative process to refer to the works of others.

As we already mentioned in our previous post, a work is not only literature. It can include texts, photos, songs, as well as videos or graphics.

And by the same token, a quotation in itself does not have to be solely verbal in character.

A quotation can be the use of a graphic in your post, the lyrics of a song, or a melody.

So what exactly is a quotation, and how can you use it safely?

A quotation is a form of permitted use of a work.

This means that quoting does not infringe on other people's copyright, as long as it is done in the appropriate manner.

In this context, the fundamental principle is to indicate the author and title of the work, and where possible, also its source.

Quoted works may be cited in part or in full. However, you should remember that such citation should be justified by the genre characteristics of the work being created.

In other words, what matters at this stage is asking yourself two questions: What kind of work are we creating? And why do we want to quote someone else's work?

Are there limits on the length of a quotation within a work?

No.

The Polish Act on Copyright and Related Rights does not specify how long a quotation may be.

In other words, there are no rigid limits that would determine how large a portion of someone else's work you may quote in your own.

Such a solution would undoubtedly lead to a restriction of creative freedom.

Can the author of a work require us to pay a fee for quoting their work?

The right of quotation gives creators the ability to cite the works of others free of charge.

In other words, no one can oblige us to pay for the act of quoting a work.

At this point, it is worth remembering the significant differences between quoting and, for example, using a work under a license.

Summary: A quotation in itself does not have to be verbal in character.

A quotation may constitute only a fragment of the work created with its use.

A quotation must be used for a specific, defined purpose.

There are no length limits on how large a portion of a work a quotation may constitute.

Quotation in itself does not involve fees, but such fees may arise from other legal grounds.

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