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Q&A Can I use a phrase from song lyrics as the title of my book?

Short phrases like that can't usually be copyrighted. The link is from the US government, but I believe it to be the same for most of the Berne Convention countries. Of course you should consult ...

posted 8y ago by Monica Cellio‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Answer
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T05:24:27Z (over 4 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/23738
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by (deleted user) · 2019-12-08T05:24:27Z (over 4 years ago)
Short phrases like that [can't usually be copyrighted](http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ34.pdf). The link is from the US government, but I believe it to be the same for most of the Berne Convention countries. Of course you should consult your local law on this.

In this specific case, there's already a [TV show by that name](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signed,_Sealed,_Delivered_(TV_series)), so _they_ apparently didn't run into trouble either.

If you use the phrase _as part of the song_, for example if you quote a verse of the song, you'll be in murkier waters. But just a title should be fine.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2016-07-09T00:19:09Z (almost 8 years ago)
Original score: 6