The Copyright Book: A Practical Guide

(Paperback, sixth edition)

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Description

An accessible and comprehensive guide to copyright law, updated to include new developments in infringement, fair use, and the impact of digital technology.Through five editions since 1981, this book has offered the most comprehensive accessible guide available to all aspects of copyright law. Now, with the sixth edition, The Copyright Book has been thoroughly updated to cover copyright for the Internet age, discussing a range of developments in the law since 2000. The only book written for nonlawyers that covers the entire field of copyright law, it is essential reading for authors, artists, creative people in every medium, the companies that hire them, users of copyrighted material, and anyone with an interest in copyright law from a policy perspective. New material includes greatly expanded coverage of infringement and fair use, with detailed discussion of recent decisions, including the Grateful Dead, Google, and HathiTrust cases. The new edition considers such topics as open access, the defeat of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), file sharing, e-reserves, the status of "orphan works," and the latest developments under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The sixth edition also brings up to date The Copyright Book's plain English explanation of such fundamental topics as authorship and ownership; transfers and licenses of copyright; copyright notice; registration of copyright (including the new online registration and "preregistration" systems); the scope of rights included in copyright, and exceptions to those rights; "moral rights"; compulsory licenses; tax treatment of copyright; and international aspects of copyright law. As copyright issues grow ever more complicated, The Copyright Book becomes ever more indispensable.

Reviews

Mr. Strong, a named partner at a general practice Boston law firm, Kotin, Crabtree & Strong, writes in plain English and with verve. When the impulse seizes him, he unabashedly calls out judicial decisions that he disagrees with, and he does so cogently and without rancor. He's a pleasure to read, particularly by the non-lawyers to who his publishers say this book is written for, although I suspect that even knowledgeable lawyers would gain something from the book.

Author Bio

William S. Strong is a Partner at Kotin, Crabtree, and Strong, LLP, Boston, and a leading authority on copyright and trademark issues.