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Can You Legally Compile and Sell Online Translations

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  • 05-16-2011, 02:53 AM
    thedancer
    Can You Legally Compile and Sell Online Translations
    My question involves business law in the state of: California

    I am wondering if it is illegal to compile audio content that is generated by publicly available and free online translation services and sell those compilations online. I do not own their text-to-speech algorithms and software, but I have ownership of my compilation software and processes.

    Depending on the scope and scale of the activity + revenue, what is the worst that could happen?

    Thanks for the help! I am relatively unversed in legal knowledge.
  • 05-16-2011, 06:37 AM
    flyingron
    Re: Potential Copyright Infringment / Lawsuit with Publicly Available Material
    The fact that you can listen to it free online doesn't make it in the public domain. It's illegal to do this without permission of the copyright holders.
    The worst that can happen is your business will be shutdown and you will be sued corporately and personally for mucho collars.
  • 05-16-2011, 08:05 AM
    Mr. Knowitall
    Re: Can You Legally Compile and Sell Online Translations
    What are you talking about? Translations of your own work, or are you asking if using an automated translator will wipe away the creator's copyright?
  • 05-16-2011, 10:13 AM
    thedancer
    Re: Can You Legally Compile and Sell Online Translations
    I am asking about automated translations in particular.
  • 05-16-2011, 10:17 AM
    Mr. Knowitall
    Re: Can You Legally Compile and Sell Online Translations
    Again, are asking about translations of your own work, or are you asking if using an automated translator will wipe away the creator's copyright?
  • 05-16-2011, 08:10 PM
    thedancer
    Re: Can You Legally Compile and Sell Online Translations
    They wouldn't be translations of my own work, they would be translations of single terms or words.
  • 05-17-2011, 04:11 AM
    flyingron
    Re: Can You Legally Compile and Sell Online Translations
    Single words, i.e., you are making a dictionary, would be fine. Words and terms are not protected by copyright.

    Translating whole works (or passages therefrom) will be a infringement.

    You're deliberately being obtuse in answering the questions, so I suspect you are trying to "game" the situation. It won't work for you in court any more than it is working for you here. Good bye.
  • 05-17-2011, 12:17 PM
    thedancer
    Re: Can You Legally Compile and Sell Online Translations
    Now that you point it out, I was actually wondering more specifically about whether the creator of the text-to-speech technology (i.e. SYSTRAN or Google or Altavista) would have any grounds to sue for using their software to record something and then sell a compilation of simple words.

    Thank you for your help. I was not trying to be 'obtuse', I was simply not aware of the subtleties of the situation, and therefore did not address the subtleties in my question/responses.
  • 05-17-2011, 02:15 PM
    flyingron
    Re: Can You Legally Compile and Sell Online Translations
    We keep asking them and you keep being evasive.

    I still don't know what you are talking about. Are you just munching words to create a list? Are you preparing a concordance? A compilation of words that is the translation of the work is infringing. Taking the words and sorting them all alphabetically isn't. Preparing a concordance (indexing them to passages) could be infringing.

    Explain just exactly the mode you are trying to find out. Don't say "like" if it's not the same. Don't be cagey. If you want answers, describe it precisely or you'll get nothing useful.
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