Online dictionary - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Stiltzkin · 12-30-2007, 08:48 PM

I've created an online dictionary, but I don't know whether or not it is legal. So far it only has about 30 words from the 1st edition of the American Heritage Dictionary (published by Houghton Mifflin Company). All of the entires have been paraphrased, and my ultimate goal would be to turn the site into a revenue-generating site by placing small ads on it. Is there any way for me to make it legal? Do I have to contact Houghton Mifflin? What if I base each entry on alternating dictionaries? (I can get information from several dictionaries and even online sources so that the entire work is not solely derived from one copyrighted work).

My online dictionary is "different" from other online dictionaries because it allows you to search for words within definitions instead of just the actual word. Later it will have more capabilities (such as being able to filter results by adjectives only, or adjectives and adverbs, etc.), but I don't want to put too much work into it if it's illegal to begin with.

Baraka_Guru · 12-30-2007, 09:37 PM

You should always contact the publisher in cases like these. The copyright to this kind of material will be closely held, especially if it is held by a company, as is likely the case with Houghton Mifflin. It won't matter if it's the 1st edition or not, the copyright is probably still active and will be so long as the company is.

Contact the publisher regardless of your having paraphrased the material. This simply creates a potentially uncomfortable situation, and they should know about it. Larger publishers have entire rights departments for this sort of thing, and many of them have lawyers too.

Stiltzkin · 12-30-2007, 09:52 PM

Thanks for the response, Baraka_Guru; that is basically what I expected. I really would like to see this project through somehow.

12-30-2007, 08:48 PM	#1 (permalink)
Stiltzkin Junkie	Online dictionary I've created an online dictionary, but I don't know whether or not it is legal. So far it only has about 30 words from the 1st edition of the American Heritage Dictionary (published by Houghton Mifflin Company). All of the entires have been paraphrased, and my ultimate goal would be to turn the site into a revenue-generating site by placing small ads on it. Is there any way for me to make it legal? Do I have to contact Houghton Mifflin? What if I base each entry on alternating dictionaries? (I can get information from several dictionaries and even online sources so that the entire work is not solely derived from one copyrighted work). My online dictionary is "different" from other online dictionaries because it allows you to search for words within definitions instead of just the actual word. Later it will have more capabilities (such as being able to filter results by adjectives only, or adjectives and adverbs, etc.), but I don't want to put too much work into it if it's illegal to begin with. __________________ The most important thing in this world is love.

12-30-2007, 09:37 PM	#2 (permalink)
Baraka_Guru warrior bodhisattva Super Moderator Location: East-central Canada	You should always contact the publisher in cases like these. The copyright to this kind of material will be closely held, especially if it is held by a company, as is likely the case with Houghton Mifflin. It won't matter if it's the 1st edition or not, the copyright is probably still active and will be so long as the company is. Contact the publisher regardless of your having paraphrased the material. This simply creates a potentially uncomfortable situation, and they should know about it. Larger publishers have entire rights departments for this sort of thing, and many of them have lawyers too. __________________ Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

12-30-2007, 09:52 PM	#3 (permalink)
Stiltzkin Junkie	Thanks for the response, Baraka_Guru; that is basically what I expected. I really would like to see this project through somehow. __________________ The most important thing in this world is love.