Do I need permission to use quotes from another source in my work?

Perhaps. However, this would depend on several factors, including:

• Whether copyright still exists in the work that you wish to quote from - the duration of copyright in literary work lasts for the life of the author and for 70 years from the end of the calendar in which the author dies. Within this period, you may need to get permission from the current copyright owner.
• There may not be a problem if any exceptions to copyright apply. However, these generally permit only very limited use of copyright material without permission.
• There may not be a problem if you copy less than a substantial part of the work. Although a quote may appear to be a small part of the entire work, if the particular quote has assumed great importance, the courts may, though, consider it to be a 'substantial part'. If this is the case, you would again need to get permission to use it from the current copyright owner.

You should also be aware that material on the Internet is protected by copyright in the same way as material printed in a book or any other format. But exceptions to copyright may also apply on-line. However, a check should be made as to whether or not any such material has been legally placed on the internet. A copyright or disclaimer notice on the website may provide information as to what is or is not acceptable to the owner of copyright, along with any contact details. However, you should not assume that quotes you can find on websites have been put there with the copyright owner's permission.