Territories – Its Place in Copyright Compliance As Sally Ride once said, “All adventures, especially into new territory, are scary.” If you have recently entered the publishing business, possibly as a self-publisher, a key decision you will have to make is in which territories you plan to distribute your works. Questions regarding sales and distribution can be […]
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Part IV: Secondary Sources – Twiddling Y
For the last three weeks we have been covering the use of secondary sources. We talked about avoiding a halt in production of our work or a DMCA takedown notice due to an unwise use of secondary sources. We talked about how and where to look for items in copied content that may be from […]
Part III: Secondary Sources – Twiddling
As we have pointed out in Part I and II of Secondary Sources, it is wise to seek out secondary sources in a search for original ones, but remember that often these sources will not serve an author in the same way original sources do—in any attempt to comply with copyright law. Below are some […]
Part II: Secondary Sources – Twiddling Y
More and more, we are seeing our own clients inadvertently make a use of secondary sources that constitutes infringement. This occurs most often today in uses of material obtained from websites, blogs, and aggregators. Publishing content from the Huffington Post, photos taken from Pinterest, text taken from Facts on File, and still images taken from […]
Avoid Claims of Plagiarism in Self-Publi...
Several instances involving plagiarism have come to light recently and have been a popular topic for discussion among those interested in publishing, online and off. The Washington Post brought to light the fact that there is much “borrowed” material without attribution in Jane Goodall’s new book Seeds of Hope. Some other publications covering this topic […]
Creating a Book Trailer Free of Copyrigh...
For independent publishers doing our own publicity, there are so many options to choose from that even making a choice of what activity to devote our valuable time to is difficult. One activity that appeals to many authors in today’s Internet world is making our own video in order to draw readers into the realm […]
Sue Me? I Copied But Gave Credit—Learned
So many of us learned early on in school that copying is OK as long as we give credit. I work with self-publishers often who have taken that lesson to heart in a big way and then hit a brick wall when trying to publish. Now, some copy with no thought of the right or […]
Register Copyright: What Happens If I Do...
It is common knowledge that copyright on a copyrightable work belongs to creators from the moment they create it. And life is hectic and time valuable for the self-publisher. We may be working on an ebook, putting out a newsletter, hosting a weekly blog or advancing our career in music or the arts by showcasing […]
Picture That: Copyright Worth More Than ...
It is often said a picture is worth a thousands words. Sometimes we as self-publishers forget to consider the worth of a photograph or an image and what it contains. It is true that some photographs may not have sufficient value attached to them to qualify for copyright protection because they add nothing unique to […]
Hear Ye, Hear Ye—Declare Your Position,
Many self-publishers know that books in print should contain a copyright notice. Unfortunately, that may be the extent of their knowledge about the importance of informing the public of their position regarding copyright. Yes, our work is copyrighted under U.S. law from the moment it is created. However, to sustain control of our work and […]