Carmack's Guide to Copyright & Contracts [Paperback]

Sharon DeBartolo Carmack (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 134 pages
• Publisher: Genealogical Publishing Company (December 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806317582
• ISBN-13: 978-0806317588
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,173,685 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Publisher's notes on the 2007 edition by Clearfield Publishing:, July 15, 2007

By 

Watershed Books (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Carmack's Guide to Copyright & Contracts (Paperback)

Genealogy is one of the most popular hobbies on the Internet. Genealogists love to share information about their families, and the very nature of the Internet fosters this practice. Probably because there is so much free information on the Web, many individuals have formed the false conclusion that "if it is on the Internet, anyone has a right to use the information as he/she sees fit." Despite the best of intentions, therefore, people will occasionally post content on a website or transmit it by e-mail without proper permission to do so.

The issue of copyright is an aspect of genealogical research that may never have crossed your mind. As copyright lawyer Karen Kreider Gaunt puts it, "Numerous misconceptions surround even basic issues, such as work for hire, fair use, public domain, and publication. An author or genealogist operating under one of these misconceptions could find herself faced with serious misunderstandings, loss of business and clients, harm to reputation and goodwill, and, at worst, litigation in federal court."

Ms. Gaunt's observations raise such fundamental questions as, "What is and what is not protected by copyright? What is in the public domain? Can I use information I find on the Internet? What constitutes fair use? When do I need to ask permission to use someone else's information, even if I quote it? And so on.

Fortunately, you can find the answers to these and similar questions in this new book, aimed primarily at genealogists and written in layman's terms. With Carmack's Guide to Copyright and Contracts in hand, you will be able to determine:

* What are your rights to your own genealogical discoveries?
* What can/should you do if someone has infringed on your copyright?
* When do you need to ask someone's permission to reprint their work?
* What are works in the public domain and how to find them?
* Can someone tape your lecture without your permission?

In scarcely 100 pages, Carmack's Guide to Copyright and Contracts informs its readers about all aspects of copyright law. Each chapter in the book lays out a specific principle of copyright or contracts and then addresses the topic with situations specifically applicable to genealogists. Subjects covered in this fashion include: (1) Copyright Basics, (2) Fair Use, the Public Domain, and Seeking Permissions, (3) Illustrations, Images, Photographs, and Maps, (4) Works for Hire, (5) Collaboration Agreements, (6) Journals/Magazine Contracts, (7) Book contracts, (8) Electronic Contracts, and (9) Self-Publication Contracts. The author also provides an extremely useful glossary of terms found in contracts and matters of copyright. Rounding out the volume are an up-to-date bibliography; a resource directory of websites, links, and online articles; and an index to the book's contents.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A highly recommended and indispensable reference, November 3, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Carmack's Guide to Copyright & Contracts (Paperback)

A Certified Genealogist, Sharon DeBartolo Carmack is also an editor and one of the field's most prolific writers with sixteen books and hundreds of published articles to her credit. Therefore she brings a very special expertise to "Carmack's Guide To Copyright & Contracts: A Primer For Genealogists, Writers & Researchers". With a thoroughly 'reader friendly' conversational style of writing, Carmack clearly and accurately explains the basics of copyright, other rights, contracts, and how these all apply to the work of genealogists, writers, and researchers in genealogy or any other form of information gathering. "Carmack's Guide To Copyright & Contracts" addresses such questions as to whether or not permission is required to use something found on the Internet; can newspaper obituaries be reproduced without permission; how to determine when something is in the public domain; who owns the copyright to the client report; if an ancestor's diary can be published without permission; and whether lectures or lessons can be copyrighted. Of special note is what Carmack has to say about who owns the copyright to something written for a genealogical society by a volunteer. "Carmack's Guide To Copyright & Contracts" should be considered to be a highly recommended and indispensable reference for the professional and amateur genealogists, genealogical society volunteers and staff, instructors, writers, librarians, speakers, and anyone else wanting to clarify the copyright status of any material be it their own or another's.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Writers and Researchers Should Love this Book!, April 22, 2006

By 

Girard F. Bolton III "...Frank" (Mobile, AL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Carmack's Guide to Copyright & Contracts (Paperback)

Carmack's Guide to Copyright & Contracts is a must for any researcher or writer! The author goes into detail about her experiences in learning copyright laws and how they worked against her in the past and how she has changed the way she currently does business. She shows you what resources she believes will keep you from making the same mistakes she made. Family history researchers and book writers need to purchase her book before you leave Amazon.com. Do not learn the hard way like she did. Learn from her experiences!