Page 1 of 1

Rules about selling "full rights" articles elsewhere?

Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2012 6:23 am
by webbwriting
Hi everyone,

I joined CC last week and have had several articles accepted. I was also excited to sell my first one! It may not be a lot of money, but it's a start eh?

I have a query about selling articles on other sites. Mainly, are there rules against selling an article that you have submitted to CC elsewhere? I understand that "full rights" usage means the article is removed from the CC archives and given exclusively to the customer, but what is to stop you from taking the article, which will obviously be on your computer, and trying to sell it somewhere else?

I am not thinking of doing this of course, but just wondering if it's a "loophole" in the CC rules. I have tried searching other threads for the answer but am still unclear.

Thank you!

Re: Rules about selling "full rights" articles elsewhere?

Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2012 11:04 pm
by mnicol22
On a practical level, I don't really know if there's anything that can stop you from re-selling a full-rights article. However, if the original buyers complain about it, and you're found out, you're going to face consequences -a permanent ban from the site for sure.

What you're describing is not a loophole in C-C rules. It's a flat out breach of copyright laws. When you sell your article for full rights, it's no longer yours to use in any way, and all rights are transferred to the buyer. Technically, it's as if you never wrote it.

I believe I don't even need to explain why you shouldn't attempt that.