Book Covers and Jacket Descriptions
- January 14, 2005 @ 3:10pmgreenfield says:Is it permissible to use images of book covers to promote a library book discussion group? From my perspective, the library is promoting the book/publisher and potentially encouraging sales of the book by creating enticing publicity for the book group.
Are jacket descriptions for books copyrighted? There is a newletter for a local food coop that is sent monthly to its members. They are interested in putting a description of the books for the library book discussion group in the monthly newsletter. Is it permissible to use the description on the book jacket? I feel that this is also a way to promote sales for a given book by providing free advertising.
What does the law say about these types of use of copyrighted material? - September 14, 2005 @ 11:02amCarrie says:Well of course the law doesn't say anything explicitly about using book covers or book descriptions.
Both are likely to be protected by copyright.
I think that the use of small thumbnail images of book covers is arguably fair use. Will the covers be displayed on paper handouts, or on the Web?
Wider distribution of the images is more problematic. But if you own a lawful copy of the book and if you remove the image after the book announcement is no longer necessary, and you are not collecting money at the book group, the use (I would argue) is fair. We cannot say definitively that this use is fair because only a court could make the decision.
I would write your own book descriptions rather than copying the existing ones. You could quote from them in your own synopsis.
-carrie
[quote]Is it permissible to use images of book covers to promote a library book discussion group? From my perspective, the library is promoting the book/publisher and potentially encouraging sales of the book by creating enticing publicity for the book group.
Are jacket descriptions for books copyrighted? There is a newletter for a local food coop that is sent monthly to its members. They are interested in putting a description of the books for the library book discussion group in the monthly newsletter. Is it permissible to use the description on the book jacket? I feel that this is also a way to promote sales for a given book by providing free advertising.
What does the law say about these types of use of copyrighted material?[/quote]
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