One of your prime responsibilities as an author is to ensure that all the material in your manuscript
is your own, or, if it is taken from another source (even if the other source was written by you and
has been published), that it can be legally used in the work you are writing. Unless Fair Use
or Public Domain principles apply, you should obtain permission to include the material in your work.
A manuscript with outstanding permissions cannot be considered ready for publication and will not
be accepted in production. Once you have determined what items require permission, organize your
materials, create a Permissions FIle, and apply for permission as soon as possible. The following
guideline may help you recognize when permission should be obtained. These are guidelines only,
and should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a permissions expert or your attorney.
These guidelines also do not relieve you of your warranties and indemnities under your author
agreement.
What Can Be Copyrighted?
Original works fixed in a tangible medium, including
Works of fiction and nonfiction
Musical works, including lyrics
Web sites and materials on them
Dramatic works, including any accompanying music
Pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works
Films and other audiovisual works
Sound recordings
Architectural works
Compilations (the selection, order and arrangement can be copyrightable if it is
sufficiently original)
Choreographic works and pantomimes
Diagrams, patterns, designs
What Is Not Copyrighted?
Works consisting solely of factual information containing no original authorship, such as standard
calendars, rulers, lists or tables taken from public documents or other common sources; the facts
of history
Works published by the United States government. There are very rare circumstances when
this material may be copyrighted. They will show notice of this. NOTE: third party
materials in the US works may be protected by copyright.
Titles, names, short phrases, and slogans (though all of these may be protected by trademark
law. Particular logos or stylized text may be copyrighted.
Ideas, procedures, methods, systems, processes, concepts, principles, discoveries, or devices
(but these may be protected by either patents or laws prohibiting theft of trade secrets
and other confidential information.
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