Permission to Quote Author Agreement

This contract sets out a clear process for obtaining written permission to reuse quoted material created by another person. It authorizes a company, as the grantee, to reprint, reproduce, and republish a specific quotation in all languages on a nonexclusive world rights basis. The permission covers advertising, broadcasting, and publishing, along with promotional or subsidiary uses, future revisions, and future editions.

It requires explicit permission from the copyright holder and makes the grantee identify the original source, the exact quote, the form of the original publication (book, article, email, interview, broadcast, testimonial), and the number of attached pages. Every page must be signed by the rights holder, and the agreement includes a required credit line to acknowledge the original author.

Under U. S. copyright law, you must seek permission and obtain written permission when you plan to use copyrighted material beyond the fair use doctrine.

Fair use is narrow; song lyrics, poetry, photos, artwork, and quotations from famous people often require permission. Works created by the federal government are generally in the public domain in the U. S., but other countries have different rules. Open access or a Creative Commons license (such as Creative Commons Attribution or CC BY NC for non-commercial use) may allow reuse if you comply with the license, but this agreement is designed for situations not covered by those terms. Do not confuse a non-exclusive right granted here with an exclusive license or copyright transfer agreements; this contract does not transfer ownership of the original work.

The process for clearing permission is straightforward: identify the original publication and page number, confirm the rights holder, contact the publisher, editor, or author, submit permission requests that describe the excerpt length, format, and intended use, and obtain approvals and signatures. You may need to pay royalty fees in some circumstances, provide a specific acknowledgement or citation, and retain records. This approach applies to previously published work, research articles, subscription articles, accepted manuscripts, tables, figures, data sets, letters, and speeches. Translation or adaptation for other countries can require additional permissions and careful credit.

Use cases include marketers quoting client testimonials in ads, publishers reusing excerpts from research journals, producers quoting speeches in a broadcast, or writers citing a paragraph from a previously published article in a blog post.

Proposal Kit can streamline this workflow with document assembly, automated line-item quoting for project budgets, an AI Writer to build supporting documents like a sample letter and general guidelines, and an extensive template library that helps teams compile clear, consistent permission requests with ease.

Beyond the basics, this permission form sits at the intersection of intellectual property and practical publishing workflows. Copyright protects original material the moment it is fixed in a tangible form, but not the underlying original idea. The copyright holder controls exclusive rights to reproduction, distribution, and adaptation, so a company that intends to quote a copyrighted work must obtain permission before reuse.

In most cases, you need a clear statement of what you will quote, how it will appear, and the context. The contract's credit line ensures the expression is properly attributed to the creator and original source, whether from an original article, accepted manuscript, or other work published.

Determining who can grant permission to use a quotation can take effort. For a journal article, an institution or employer might own rights; for a picture, a photographer may hold them; for songs, an agency often manages them. University presses, such as Chicago Press, post instructions on their website that outline submission requirements, restrictions, and whether gratis copies are requested.

Approval can take several months, and the response may limit the number of copies you can print or distribute, the version you may use, or the nature of any adaptation. Note that first publication rights, archive policies, and different types of licenses affect what is acceptable. When in doubt, consult a lawyer and refer to the Copyright Office records to identify the relevant authority.

The permission process should cover details: a description of the quoted material, page references, the event or publication where it will appear, any relation to criticism or opinion, and whether you will adapt the excerpt. You may need to pay money for fees, offer gratis copies, or agree not to sell derivative art based on the quotation. Your attempt to secure approval should include a formal file with evidence of the original work, a written manuscript showing the quotation in context, and an acknowledgement that small amounts may fall under an exception but are not necessarily fair use.

Be prepared to answer questions, respond to counter-terms, or decide to reduce the excerpt length. If a group requests on behalf of an employer, confirm who is responsible for compliance.

Use cases include agencies citing a paragraph from a client's original work in a campaign, publishers quoting fiction in a new anthology, institutions reprinting a speech, or artists referencing songs in a program. Proposal Kit can streamline this process with document assembly, automated line-item quoting for permission fees and gratis copies, an AI Writer to write permission letters and acknowledgements, and a template library that helps users present clear requests, follow outlined guidelines, and compile the required information with ease.

A practical way to decide whether to quote is to weigh the character and subject of your use against the potential market for the copyrighted work. In most instances, you should keep the excerpt to a limited number of words and make sure the passage is clearly cited with a full reference to the original, not just a link or a download from a website. What constitutes an acceptable quotation depends on context, but a safe rule is to quote only what you intend to discuss and avoid substituting for the original work or other works.

Hope is not a strategy; if the material is protected, obtain permission. The permission you receive is called a nonexclusive license, which is limited in scope and does not transfer ownership. At the point of publication, whether a journal, marketing piece, or course pack, confirm that your use will not harm the work's potential market or misrepresent the creator's ideas or the work's character over the life of the campaign.

Operationally, track every request, response, and approval. Terms can be interpreted narrowly, so follow them as written. If needed, hire a clearance professional or a lawyer to review edge cases.

Do not assume user submissions are owned by your company without a written assignment. Be clear whether your use involves other types of content, such as art, fiction, or photos, since each may require separate permissions. Some licensors may ask for an exchange of value, such as fees or attribution, and will scrutinize whether your use is for commercial gain. If you plan to adapt material, state that intention up front. When an internal debate arises, the act of documenting your efforts and the argument for minimal, cited use helps demonstrate diligence and compliance.

How to write my Permission to Quote Author Agreement document - The Narrative

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