(08-04-2013, 03:54 PM)Clupper21 Wrote: First a disclaimer. I dislike copyright discussions on boards; 95% of the people commenting in such discussions have little or no idea what copyright really is. But now I'm going to put myself in that disliked class by asking, is "An Army at Dawn" copyright of Rick Atkinson and/or Henry Holt & Co? Or is it a common phrase from some older public source like an Eisenhower speech or something? I ask because it sounds like the same title and the same subject matter.
It is not the phrase that matters it is the material created. The book "An Army at Dawn" as material has certain rights that are owned by author/publisher based on the material published but not the phrase. The phrase can be used by any one as long as it is not infringing on the other material, in this case the book. However, if someone looks to use the book as the material for something else, movie, recording, even a game, then they are legally required to get the appropriate permissions from the authors and publishers.
