Question of the Day: I wrote a book loosely based on an obscure cartoon from the nineties. I was looking to publish it, but I had a brief moment of wondering if I would be infringing on copyright because I was inspired by the story. I didn't copy the story of the cartoon. I took a couple elements from it and created the rest of the book with ideas I came up with all on my own. Is that enough for my book to be considered as my own work? Will I be able to publish it?

Copyright protects original expression, not ideas. It does not protect story elements. Being inspired by another work is often not enough to warrant a claim of copyright infringement unless your work is so similar that it’s obvious what you copied.

If legal questions were easy, we wouldn’t need lawyers.

More helpful information available here:
Copyright Protection – Ideas vs Expression: http://bit.ly/2DSnOCg
Is it Fan Art or Copyright Infringement: http://bit.ly/2BdTRsV
Register Your Copyright Before You SelfPublish: https://bit.ly/3jr5mkV

Ruth Carter is an attorney at Venjuris Law Firm in Phoenix, Arizona – a firm that focuses on business, intellectual property, and internet/social media law. They are also a professional speaker, blogger, and author through Carter Law Firm.

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The Legal Side of Blogging: How Not to get Sued, Fired, Arrested, or Killed: http://amzn.to/1FpqUE2
Flash Mob Law: http://amzn.to/1XpauoD
The Legal Side of Blogging for Lawyers: http://amzn.to/1VKdFbB

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Disclaimer: This video does not constitute legal advice. Watching this video does not create an attorneyclient relationship with any viewer. If you need personalized legal advice, hire an attorney.