3 ms·

Or just took a book from English and translated it into French. Who owns the copyright on that? The original author. Translation is not creating a new work. h

Or just took a book from English and translated it into French. Who owns the copyright on that? The original author. Translation is not creating a new work. https://copyright.uslegal.com/enumerated-categories-of-copyrightable-works/translation/ https://copyright.uslegal.com/enumerated-categories-of-copyr...

slim 6y ago
if I create subtitles for a film in a different language, who's the author?
- kadoban 6y ago
  You, but it's a derived work, you can't distribute it legally without permission from whoever owns copyright on the film. (not a lawyer)
  - sergeykish 6y ago
    You can't distribute song text either. The difference is most of the people are not musically literate, easier to oppress.
matkoniecz 6y ago
It is trickier than you present - both original author and translator own copyright, and you need get permission from both (unless you are in one of cases where copyright does not matter). In some cases original copyright expired but translator copyright still applies.
- gnopgnip 6y ago
  To put another way, if you do not have permission of the original author it is a derivative work, there is no valid copyright(at least in the US, but also in many other countries). It is only if the translation(or any derivative work) was made with permission that it is protected by copyright
  - matkoniecz 6y ago
    Are you sure? I agree that if original work has an active copyright then in usual case you need permission from whoever owns it. But if I make translation, then I may be unable to distribute i. But in exactly the same way original author would need to have my permission to distribute translation.
    - gnopgnip 6y ago
      >Only the owner of copyright in a work has the right to prepare, or to authorize someone else to create, an adaptation of that work. The owner of a copyright is generally the author or someone who has obtained the exclusive rights from the author. In any case where a copyrighted work is used without the permission of the copyright owner, copyright protection will not extend to any part of the work in which such material has been used unlawfully https://copyright.gov/circs/circ14.pdf https://copyright.gov/circs/circ14.pdf

slim 6y ago

if I create subtitles for a film in a different language, who's the author?

kadoban 6y ago
You, but it's a derived work, you can't distribute it legally without permission from whoever owns copyright on the film. (not a lawyer)
- sergeykish 6y ago
  You can't distribute song text either. The difference is most of the people are not musically literate, easier to oppress.

matkoniecz 6y ago

It is trickier than you present - both original author and translator own copyright, and you need get permission from both (unless you are in one of cases where copyright does not matter). In some cases original copyright expired but translator copyright still applies.

gnopgnip 6y ago
To put another way, if you do not have permission of the original author it is a derivative work, there is no valid copyright(at least in the US, but also in many other countries). It is only if the translation(or any derivative work) was made with permission that it is protected by copyright
- matkoniecz 6y ago
  Are you sure? I agree that if original work has an active copyright then in usual case you need permission from whoever owns it. But if I make translation, then I may be unable to distribute i. But in exactly the same way original author would need to have my permission to distribute translation.
  - gnopgnip 6y ago
    >Only the owner of copyright in a work has the right to prepare, or to authorize someone else to create, an adaptation of that work. The owner of a copyright is generally the author or someone who has obtained the exclusive rights from the author. In any case where a copyrighted work is used without the permission of the copyright owner, copyright protection will not extend to any part of the work in which such material has been used unlawfully https://copyright.gov/circs/circ14.pdf https://copyright.gov/circs/circ14.pdf