Would there be any legal issues with this idea?

Question

me & my cousin are going to write a dictionary of words that aren't in the dictionary, but people use on a daily basis. would there be any legal issues? i doubt it since no one can own the english language... but i just want to make sure.

Answer 1

Well, the ebonics dictionary has been around for years and no one was suited over it. For $150.00 you can get incorporated which makes you sue proof if you think it's worth it.

Answer 2

There are always potential legal issues when you even contemplate publishing a book (J. K. Rowling !?... a well known example!).



First you need to do some basic research by googling urban dictionaries and phrase books.. you will find things on the web like www.urbandictionary.com which is an online database of ''urban'' words and phrases and people write their own definitions and post them. This would obviously be different than your idea as you want to make a hardcopy dictionary. Check on www.amazon.com and www.amazon.co.uk and look for books like this to see if there are any. Then if you do find some you need to think about how similar you product will be and especially the name of the book, as you don't want to be accused of plagarism. You could check with the patent and copyright office to see if anyone has a patent over anything like this and to ensure that you don't infringe somebody's intellectual property rights (it would be expensive for you if you did, you'd potentially have to pay them the royalties you gained from abusing their patent as well as damages).



Also you must write the definitions yourselves or if you use someone else's definition then you must accredit them properly by referencing it clearly so that people who it is their work and you are just displaying it. Beware that it must be accurate or you could have issues.. it could even result in libel claims in extreme cases. You should also be aware that if you get a quote from a book there will often be a sentence somewhere at the beginning of the book basically saying that before you use anything from it to publish in another book or article, you must get the author's permission in writing.

Answer 3

You are doing this just for your time pass, so do what you want to enjoy.

Answer 4

No, you're fine. Enjoy.

Answer 5

have fun.