Using Song Lyrics and Copyright Infringement Question

[Euphony]

I guess I am still curious about repetition and how I need to calculate that.

Moving away from percentages, if that's problematic, if the bulk of a song is identifiable and repetitious.

Say I use Rhianna's "We found love in a hopeless place."
Also assume the author/reader/Laurel considers it non-generic. (for this exercise)

If necessary, please suggest any other song with significant repetition that you don't intend to match (so no cut and paste of 17 instances) but use maybe a few times in example.

Am I blowing right past "use a couple lines" by using it once or twice?

 

[KeithD]

Am I blowing right past "use a couple lines" by using it once or twice?

By using it twice, yes. Two lines total per work is all a U.S. publisher would risk. If you use two lines twice, that's four lines.

 

[ElectricBlue]

There is no such thing as a 50% cutoff under the law. It does not exist. I defy anyone to find support for that. It's false.

The 50% thing probably came from my post, where I said Laurel allowed me to quote two stanzas from a four stanza poem. Whether there Is a legal precedent or not is irrelevant - that's what she allowed, in my case, on her site.

 

[Euphony]

My publisher warned me not to use any popular song titles let alone lyrics! Those rare Top 100 authors might seem to get away with it, but that's not the case: they seek and obtain the artists permission in advance so as not to breach copyright.

Something to keep in mind for sure if I ever decide to publish.

But publishing has its own separate set of best practices I don't wish to constrain myself with at little ol' here.

Titles aren't protected as I understand it. Publisher is more speaking to industry "bad form" which is not how I'm approaching this work.