Can I reproduce material from online and print media?

[RyanCaleb]

Hello everyone,

I work part time as a content developer for English language. I design questions for banking preparation. I am planning to publish a workbook encompassing questions based on the pattern of Banking or IBPS exams.
Now I create these questions from the articles of newspapers, online websites, other print and online media.
Would there be any problems regarding copyright if I use these sources to frame the questions useful for banking exams? I can mention the source of the article below the question. Even IBPS uses print and online media for its exams.
Please advice as to what precautions can I take as this book is for educational purposes.

Thanks

[AndyJ]

Hi Ryan,

I note that you have previously tried to get some advice from an Indian website, so I am assuming that you are based in India. I can't really offer any detailed advice on Indian Copyright law.

Also I am not entirely clear about what, exactly, you would need to use or quote from these sources in order to create banking exam questions. If it is essential that you quote verbatim from, say, current affairs commentaries or news stories, then you will probably need to get permission from the publishers since you are planning to use the quotations in a book. However if you can paraphrase the stories in your own words, then there would be no copyright infringement.

Section 52 (h) of the Indian Copyright Act 1957 says:

The following acts shall not constitute an infringement of copyright, namely: [...]
(h) the reproduction of a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work-

• (i) by a teacher or a pupil in the course of instruction; or
  (ii) as part of the questions to be answered in an examination; or
  (iii) in answers to such questions;

[...]

but I am pretty sure that your proposed book would fall outside this narrow permitted use. lt certainly would in the UK where such educational use has to be conducted in a recognised place of education such as a school, college or university approved by the Department of Education.

I'm sorry not to be able to give a more precise answer, because I don't have any detailed knowledge of Indian caselaw.