Q: Hi, have a question regarding possible copyright/trademark infringement or plagiarism.
I wrote a short manifesto but after I wrote it, I found out that two Nike ads have similar sentences in them. I was really surprised as I haven't copied them but still I'm worried if this could be seen as copyright/trademark infringement or plagiarism.
A: Under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, as amended, copyright does not extend to short terms, phrases and slogans. In addition, to constitute an infringement an original work of authorship that is eligible for copyright protection, a suspect work must be substantially similar to the original work. It does not appear that either criteria exists in your situation. If you remain uneasy, consult with an attorney who practices in the field of copyright law.
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