The Copyright Book: A Practical Guide

This book by a lawyer who specializes in copyright gives practical advice in plain language on current copyright laws and practices. He defines the rights of both originators and users and describes the varieties of materials—literary, scientific, musical, filmic—that can be registered. Information on registration, protection, licensing, and transfer of copyright is included along with a chapter covering copyright of works created prior to the revised 1978 law.

Most of the changes in this new edition are updates of legal issues. The section on the copyrighting of software has been expanded and updated, and the problems of copyright in computer music are also addressed. Other updated areas include: the amount of originality required for a derivative work to be eligible for copyright, copyrighting of confidential materials, artists' rights in their works after sale, the Betamax decision on home copying of televised material, and the status of foreign manufactured copies of literary modes. The forms and other supplementary data in the appendices have all been updated as well.

"This excellent introduction to copyright law will be welcomed by people who use copyrighted works—teachers, librarians, performers, businesspeople—and the artists and authors who create them... The 11 chapters, all clearly subdivided for easy access, cover topics such as the subjects matter of copyright ownership, transfers of copyright, registering a copyright claim, subsidiary rights, compulsory licenses, and infringement and 'fair' use. A detailed subject index allows ready access to the text."
— American Reference Books Annual (review of the first edition)

"This summation and exegesis of the 1978 copyright law is a masterpiece of clarity in a field that sorely needs it. It should be a welcome guide to all who fish in these troubled waters."
—Louis Auchincloss