Copyright & Fair Use Policy

BriefBook publishes original summaries of design books. This page explains how we create those summaries, how they relate to the original works, and how we respect the rights of authors and publishers.

1. What Our Summaries Are

Each BriefBook summary is an independently written, original work created by our editorial team. Summaries present the key ideas, frameworks, and concepts from a book in condensed form, written in our own words. They are meant to complement — not replace — the original work.

Our summaries are not:

• Reproductions, translations, or derivative works of any original text;
• Verbatim extracts or substantial portions of the source book;
• Digital copies, scans, or any form of the original publication.

2. Fair Use & Fair Dealing

Writing about and referencing published books — including summarising their ideas — is a longstanding practice protected under the fair use doctrine (US Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. § 107) and equivalent fair dealing provisions in other jurisdictions. Commentary, criticism, education, and the communication of ideas are among the explicitly recognised fair use purposes.

BriefBook summaries satisfy the key fair use factors:

• Purpose and character: our summaries are transformative editorial works, not mechanical reproductions. They add analysis, structure, and original commentary.
• Amount used: we do not reproduce substantial portions of any original text. Ideas and facts are not copyrightable; only their specific written expression is.
• Effect on the market: summaries do not substitute for purchasing the original book. We actively encourage readers to buy the full work and provide links to do so.

3. Attribution & Links to Originals

Every summary on BriefBook clearly identifies:

• The original book title and author(s);
• The original publisher (where known);
• A link to purchase or find the original book.

We believe that transparency about the source material is both ethically correct and good for readers who want to explore a subject further.

4. Our Content is Our Own

All written summaries, editorial notes, visual design, user interfaces, and code on BriefBook are the intellectual property of Vladimir Pavlov and are protected by copyright. You may not reproduce, redistribute, or republish our summaries without explicit written permission.

5. Copyright Holder Requests

We deeply respect the work of authors and publishers. If you are a copyright holder and believe that a BriefBook summary misrepresents your work, reproduces protected expression without authorisation, or you would like it removed for any reason, please contact us at hello@briefbook.app.

Please include: the title and author of the book in question, a description of your concern, and your contact details. We will review all requests promptly and in good faith, and will remove or amend content where warranted.

6. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date reflects the most recent revision.