Copyright Handbook, The: What Every Writer Needs to Know

By Stephen Fishman

This must-have handbook for writers and artists provides every necessary form to protect written expression under U.S. and international copyright law. With step-by-step instructions, it illustrates how to:

register a written work with the copyright office

determine what works can be protected

transfer copyright ownership

define and avoid infringement

maintain electronic publishing rights

This edition is completely updated to provide the latest case law and copyright regulations, including updates on all the latest cases and changes to copyright law and on electronic filing.

• Language: English
• Publisher: NOLO
• Release date: Oct 15, 2014
• ISBN: 9781413320497

Stephen Fishman

Stephen Fishman is the author of many Nolo books, including Deduct It! Lower Your Small Business Taxes, Every Landlord's Tax Deduction Guide and Home Business Tax Deductions: Keep What You Earn—plus many other legal and business books. He received his law degree from the University of Southern California and after time in government and private practice, became a full-time legal writer.

Reviews for Copyright Handbook, The

[Kailynne Tillis-sanchez · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Good

[pennyshima · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

NOLO books are valuable resources in assisting individuals to understand legal topics. They are not, nor do they try to be, a substitute for personalized legal advice. This title on Copyright, in 405 pages, plus appendix, CD of forms, and index assist writers in understanding the basics of this deceptively simple topic. From the start Fishman explains the basics of copyright and provides examples of all the different permutations as to why a work may or may not be protected. The education provided allows a writer to better understand the rights available to their own works and what they need to think about when adapting others written words. The guide is clearly written in plain English and includes, as do all NOLO titles I've read, various tips and clarifying summary charts to make sense of a this topic. What I found most useful was I would not have thought to include in this volume, "Copyright and Taxation" and the consideration of your writing a hobby or a business. This title is most helpful for those who write what I will call standard prose. If you are trying to understand how to copyright and protect, a knitting pattern, for example, basics exist as to its potential protection, I suggest if you are interested in copyright and other protections specifically for craft patterns, such as knitting, then an internet search (try "knitting copyright") will supplement and expand upon the information provided in this title. I highly recommend this readable volume and hope you find an attorney you can call contact if necessary.Please note that the copy reviewed was received as part of LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.

[cbl_tn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Although this book is subtitled “What Every Writer Needs to Know”, this copyright handbook will be useful to anyone who has questions or needs information about copyright law. The clear explanations and numerous examples make this book a good starting point for non-specialists. The sample forms will help readers handle simple copyright matters on their own. Readers with more complex copyright problems will find information that will help them develop a strategy to address their problems, including who to contact (a copyright attorney, an organization, or an agency), what information to provide, and what questions to ask.As a librarian, I've read works about copyright targeted specifically for librarians. This book allowed me to look at a familiar topic from a different perspective. It's a useful addition to a copyright reference collection, and it's a source I'll consult in the future whenever I deal with copyright issues.This review is based on a complimentary copy provided by the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.

[atimco-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Copyright Handbook: What Every Author Needs to Know is an excellent resource for anyone curious about how copyright laws protect written works, photographs, and artwork. Stephen Fishman does a great job explaining what copyright protects (the words arranged to express the author's idea, not the idea itself) and what the differences are between copyrights, trademarks, patents, and trade secret laws. He gives the reader a quick overview of how copyright law originated in the U.S. (it started with the Founding Fathers, interestingly enough) and what its purpose is ("to promote the progress of science and the useful arts—that is, human knowledge" (4)). One area in which copyright law is still developing is what Fishman calls "the brave new digital world" (129). Apparently there is no consensus as to whether or not posting your material online counts as publication. The Copyright Office does not currently take a position on this matter. But I think it's safe to assume that online publication is still publication, and to post copyright notices on anything you wish to protect. Copyright law protects your work whether or not you post a copyright notice, but copyright notices help deter infringers and prevent an "innocent infringement" defense being used against your suit.One thing this book does not cover is the copyright laws regarding music and film. As a songwriter, I was hoping to learn more about how to protect my music. But Fishman points to other resources for those whose questions are not addressed in this work, and I may just pick up the title he recommends (Music Law: How to Run Your Band's Business by Richard Stim, also published by Nolo). I did not read the book cover to cover, but read the chapters that were of interest to me and scanned the rest of the book. Unfortunately, it looks like there are some problems in the text; at the bottom of page 38 it says you will have to pay an extra $60 fee for expedited registration with the U.S. Copyright Office, but the very next sentence on page 39 says, "You won't need to pay the extra $760 if you register right away." So which is it, $60 or $760? I also noticed some punctuation errors (in a sample letter, of all places) and technically incorrect colloquial English. And I wasn't even reading to edit. This is unfortunate because it does call into question the book's reliability. I hope that the errors are just typos, not mistakes in the factual information.I like the way the information is formatted. There are shaded boxes throughout with helpful tips and summaries of the information in the main text. Sample copyright notices, copyright agreements, and letters appear in outlined boxes to distinguish them. Fishman indents his many example situations that illustrate the practical result of what he just explained. Another helpful feature of this book is the CD-ROM included at the back that contains all the copyright forms needed to register your work. I have not used this CD-ROM but I'm sure it will come in handy should I ever need it.Of course, after absorbing some of the information from the book I turned to its copyright notice page to see how Nolo did it. They followed all their own rules! Overall (and typos notwithstanding), I think this is a great place to start if you want to learn more about copyright laws and how to register your work with the Copyright Office.

[jennmaine · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

NOLO remains my favorite publisher of high-quality DIY legal information and this 2011 offering is another must-have for writers, scholars, and all those who use or produce copyrighted information. Easy-to-read, yet still comprehensive, attorney and legal writer Stephen Fishman takes the reader through the basics of copyright and registration procedures and then discusses auxiliary issues such as taxation and litigation- even advice on choosing a copyright attorney. An included CD offers useful forms. Educators looking for detailed information on Fair Use may need to find a more focused source, but the basics are covered here. Highly recommended.

[vetters · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This really is THE reference for the everyday person who wants to learn about copyrights - whether you're a writer, corporate marketing manager or just someone who wants to avoid trouble when blogging about copyrighted works. It thoroughly covers the basic questions (what does copyright cover, how to register a copyright, avoiding infringement) and goes in-depth on various topics that are all cleanly laid out in the table of contents. While not the same as consulting a copyright lawyer (which costs at least $250/hour according to the book), "The Copyright Handbook" is an incredible resource that boosted my confidence in the scary legal realm of copyright. My biggest takeaway was that, in the case of copyright infringement, simply being ignorant of copyright law does not excuse you from responsibility.A CD-ROM is included with this book and includes legal forms in both PDF and RTF formats. There's a big disclaimer about only being guaranteed to work with Windows, but I didn't have any problems accessing them on my Macintosh. Perhaps you could experience trouble if you're using a really outdated operating system.

[oldbookswine · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book is more difficult to read than others in the series. Probably because of the many changes and uses for the copyright this book deals only with writing and products of those writings. Accompanying CD is very useful. This volume should be available to any want-to-be writer and to editors of publishing. But be aware that this law changes with court orders and now with new technology may well have major changes coming in different countries. Recommended for school and public libraries. Could provide a good textbook for college classes.

[garyleejones · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As someone beginning to compile an anthology of other people's writing for a college textbook, I was really glad to get The Copyright Handbook. It anticipates virtually every question I might have, and answers them clearly and concisely. It has a thorough table of contents, not just at the beginning of the book but at the beginning of each chapter. The text is constructed of separate sub-topics, each with its own bold-face heading. There is a solid, cross-referenced index. The author, Stephen Fishman, is an attorney specializing in copyright law; he alerts the reader to situations tricky enough to require clarification and advice in a face-to-face meeting with an attorney. I look forward to frequent, productive use of The Copyright Handbook.