58132


Suppose if I want to describe an anime for a website, do I need to rewrite it
in my own words or can I just copy and paste it with the source stated with
the assumption of fair use?

(As in the synopsis / summary of the anime)

Also, what about the cover images, is it the same or I need a license for that
as well?


CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-15T04:28:22.877
58130
2020-07-15T09:26:09.173
54323
question
copyright
Is the description to an anime/manga copyrighted?


For legal questions such as these, it is always good to contact a copyright
lawyer in your country. Laws regarding fair use, copyrights and the likes
differ per country, and a copyright lawyer should be more than capable of
answering your questions. And this answer should not be seen as legal advice.

As [Turamarth](https://anime.stackexchange.com/users/27875/turamarth) points
out in the comments, the cover image part is covered in my answer [Do websites
need to pay for using anime posters on their
website?](https://anime.stackexchange.com/a/44541/1458).

In general you are free to summarize and create synopsis. If you do so without
quoting the original, in most cases you should be ok. As it is not the plot of
a story that the copyright applies to, but the composition/arrangement of
words.

However if these summaries do make use of original sources material, they
could be tested for fair use, and ultimately considered a derivative work.
Which can be considered a subsidiary right under the original copyright. Which
would require you to obtain a license.

In regards to the 'copy-pasting' from 'a' source with proper mention of it's
origin, you will have to look into the licensing of the particular origin you
are copy pasting it from. Usually you can find this information at the footer
of a page, or on their legal pages. As an example, wikipedia states the
following license on the [sword art online wiki
page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sword_Art_Online)

> Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License;
> additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of
> Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the
> Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.

Where the [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
License](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_Creative_Commons_Attribution-
ShareAlike_3.0_Unported_License) clearly states you are free to do things with
the information under a set of conditions


CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-15T09:26:09.173
58132
2020-07-15T09:26:09.173
1458
58130
answer