Every Writer's Guide to Copyright and Publishing Law, Second Edition [Paperback]

Ellen M. Kozak (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 1997 | ISBN-10: 0805048049 | ISBN-13: 978-0805048049 | Edition: 2nd

Learn how to safeguard your work against theft and plagiarism with this straightforward, invaluable guide to copyright and publishing law, including a new section on multimedia and electronic copyright information.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It would be wrong for a writer to assume that the mere hiring of an agent or a lawyer absolves him or her of all responsibility to understand copyright and other publishing laws. For one thing, most lawyers are not schooled in the intricacies of these laws; for another, a writer could save a bundle of money by preparing well before going to a lawyer. But most importantly, it behooves a writer to have a working understanding of the laws that govern his or her work, because some of them are complicated, and pleading ignorance isn't usually a strong defense. Ellen M. Kozak provides a trim primer on such legal issues as the ever-evolving U.S. copyright laws (including the burgeoning field of electronic copyright), contracts, libel, fair use, work for hire, collaboration agreements, and dealing with copyright infringement. This is a modest, straightforward guide that explains the many complex laws behind the deceptively simple copyright dictum that "all works of sufficient length," according to Kozak, "... are covered by federal law once they have been fixed in a medium of expression from which they can be read back." --Jane Steinberg

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Holt Paperbacks; 2nd edition (January 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805048049
• ISBN-13: 978-0805048049
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,494,254 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ellen M. Kozak practices copyright, publishing, and media law in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is the author of nine books (some of them novels published under a pseudonym) and hundreds of articles that have appeared in publications as diverse as "USA Today," the "Wall Street Journal," "Campaigns & Elections," "Travel+Leisure," "Milwaukee Magazine," the "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel," "Toastmaster," and the "Fresno Bee," as well as radio essays for WUWM radio.

Ms. Kozak is a frequent speaker on legal topics and on publishing and copyright law to groups around the country. She is a graduate of Barnard College and the University of Wisconsin Law School, and holds a Certificate in Law of the Media from the NYU School of Law.

Her book "From Pen to Print: The Secrets of Getting Published Successfully" was named best Wisconsin nonfiction book of 1990 by the Council for Wisconsin Writers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars As a "lay student" of copyright, I like it., October 16, 2000

By 

"mikegoad" (Dover, Arkansas USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Every Writer's Guide to Copyright and Publishing Law, Second Edition (Paperback)

It seems to be a good "primer" on copyright law and other aspects of of publishing law. It's main value to me has been in confirming some of the concepts and thoughts that I had independently arrived at through study of the copyright code and some of the more significant court cases. The only real problem that I see with the book is that it is already out of date. It has nothing in it on the Sonny Bono Copyright Extension Act or the Digital Millenium Copyright Act and really does not adequately address the problem of copyright infringement on the internet.