Assalaamu alaikum, What is the ruling on copying an excerpt from a book that is copyrighted and sharing it with others through e-mail or on a forum? Also, what is the ruling on scanning a copyrighted book and sharing it in the internet? Jazak Allah khair.

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

It is not permissible to copy copyrighted materials or benefit from them in any manner without prior permission from their owners. This is because the right of ownership of intellectual and literary works are exclusive rights of their owners, so it is not permissible to transgress this right in any case.

Copying part of a book or scanning a whole book in order to use it in the internet is included in this prohibition.

However, some scholars are of the view that it is permissible to copy copyrighted materials for personal use, but in order to be on the safe side, it is better to say that this is prohibited for being acquitted from sin.

For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 85102 and 90342.