Q: copyright laws for digital magazine
i’m looking to create my own digital magazine. Some of the pages would consist of work from other people and they would be credited of course but i’m just thinking ahead to when I’m ready to monitize the magazine. Currently I would not be paying other people to contribute nor would I charge for subscriptions because I would still need to build a following.
If i were to end up charging for downloads or subscriptions how would that work in terms of splitting the money? Would I own everything since it’s my magazine and they just contribute occasionally? Just want to stay ahead of things to avoid complications in the future! thanks!
A:
Just because you credit an author does not mean you can use their work, even if you are not selling the magazine. This could very easily get you in trouble for copyright ingrinment and get a DMCA notice. You would need to get permission from each author to post their work in your magazine.
For future paid articles, it would depend on the factors for works for hire. Some authors may request to retain the rights to their works, while others may not. I would definitely recommend looking more into copyright laws and getting a consultation with a copyright lawyer before launching your magazine.
Tim Akpinar agrees with this answer
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