I'm working on a series of puzzles where- when the answer is finally revealed- it will be a quotation from someone. The name of the writer or source will be revealed as well. Do I need permission to use these quotes?
Depending on the jurisdiction, this sounds like fair use to me, but if they are outside copyright or you're the writer who wrote them then it might not arise anyway. The type of puzzle might make a difference - selling a Star Wars branded word search at train stations where people have to find characters' names would almost certainly need permission, but if it's (e.g.) a pub quiz and the quotes are short not whole chapters, and the usage is unexpected/comes as a surprise then that's further to the 'fair use' end of the spectrum. But also, the entertainment value would be easier to get from works in the public domain (since they're older and more quotable).
Are these going to be contemporary quotes, or historical quotes? My thought was that if it will be things that are found in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations there shouldn't be a need to worry about copyrights or permissions. I'm thinking of quotes such as "I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country," "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself," "The buck stops here," or "Fear is a reaction. Courage is a decision." All are statements made by famous men who are long dead.
