In accordance with the Copyright Act a work made public may be quoted, in accordance with proper usage to the extent necessary for the purpose (Section 22). Proper usage means here that the quotation is used in a suitable manner, in aid of one's own creative work and for example to illustrate an issue.
The allowable extent and manner of use of quotations are determined on a case-by-case basis, depending on the type of publication. Quotations may not be utilized as parts of a new publication nor used out of context.
In accordance with Section 11, Paragraph 2 of the Copyright Act, the author's name and the source must be indicated to the extent and in a manner required by proper usage. For theses the citation style and referencing of sources are also regulated by possible subject-specific guidelines.
Quotation right is not limited to certain types of work or techniques.
What is the maximum allowable quotation length?
The allowable extent of quotations is determined on a case-by-case basis. If the other conditions provided by quotation right are fulfilled, i.e. the quoted work has been mentioned and the quotation is in accordance with proper usage (author's name and source are mentioned, the quotation is not used for advertising or marketing purposes, the quoted work has a material connection with the text it is included in), the purpose of the quotation determines its extent. The quotation must depict the original work truthfully, which is why too short quotations can be misleading and thus against proper usage.
