: Is it legal to host very, very detailed summaries of copyrighted material? I have a website where people can discuss books of various topics, mostly technical and practical stuff. Lately I have

@Jessie594

EFF Fair Use FAQ will be helpful w2.eff.org/IP/eff_fair_use_faq.php

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@Ravi8258870

So long at it is a summary/review, and it doesn't plagiarise the book directly i.e. include large sections of it simply cut and pasted text, then it should come under fair use.

The key things are the amount of copy used, credit and the context. If it's presented as a review or summary and a small amount of the book i.e. a sentence or two is used word for word to make a point and the wording is attributed to the book's author, then you should be fine.

If large tracts of the book are copied for no real reason other than laziness on the part of the review author then you may be in trouble. Likewise if the review author uses sections of the book and presents them as his or own work, or doesn't credit the book's author.

This does vary somewhat by country and you should look at the laws of your own nation in addition to the laws of the nation your web server is hosted in as both may apply.

I should add that I'm not a lawyer, and this is therefore not a legal opinion!

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