Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[James Fredrick]

A published article contained a number of equations relating to the transfer of heat under certain conditions.  Some of the equations were difficult to directly solve and so the author provided  two graphs which greatly simplify achieving a solution.  In addition certain conditions are analysed and results given.

There is no mention that the article is copyright - and I obtained it via a simple search request on Google and downloaded it without any conditions or notifications attached.

I propose to write an article myself applying the equations and the graphs from that original article to predict the performance of a boiler, writing to an audience that is more practical than scientific and I would not reproduce the equations or graphs in that article.  But I would credit the original author and I would give a reference to that article.

So do I risk infringing the author's rights in any way?

[artchain]

Creative works are automatically protected by copyright.  No notice is required.  Unless you have specific knowledge that a work is in the public domain, you must assume that it is protected.

Having said that, formulas and equations are generally not protected.  Graphs may or may not be protected, depending on the degree of creative expression.

Using those equations and graphs as tools to produce independent results would not be a copyright violation.

Still, crediting the original author would, in my opinion, be the correct thing to do.