Direct quotes from survey results

[georgeburdell]

A couple of years ago I created a survey and posted it on my blog. Over a hundred high school and college students wrote nice long answers to a couple of questions about things they would like for their professors and/or parents to know.

Since their answers lend such authenticity to the statements and make them so much more interesting than my just writing about the topics, I would like to copy a lot of their quotes directly in a book I'm writing. I would use just the students' first initial for each quote, as in, "I wish my parents would just let me be myself. M. - College student"

I neglected to get their email addresses when I created the survey so I can't ask permission, but would I run into any legal problems if I go ahead with this?

Thank you!

[tranquility]

I neglected to get their email addresses when I created the survey so I can't ask permission, but would I run into any legal problems if I go ahead with this?

You could have handled this at the beginning of the process by having the survey inform the students you can use the data for any purpose you choose. (Obviously, there would be research done on how to word the release.)

Now you want to violate the copyright of the authors in order to make a profit. By a strict reading, I'd say it would be a violation and all one has to do is to find an attorney and they would have a prima facie case against you to start litigation. Is it fair use? I don't know. You tell us after litigation.