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Ask Author Law

The role of agent and attorney

Ask Author Law is a Q&A blog about legal issues for authors. I am a practicing attorney, freelance writer, and publishing consultant. I focus my law practice on the representation of authors, often consulting with or serving as co-counsel to other attorneys on publishing cases. This information is for general purposes only and is not legal advice. Asking a question or reading an answer does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Q: In a rapidly changing industry agents indicate one of their values is negotiating international or business relationships. Isn’t this a service an IP attorney could handle for an author?

A: The role of an agent and an attorney depends entirely on the individual relationship with the client. Both agents and attorneys are generally capable of negotiating contracts and “doing deals” on behalf of their clients, but the specific services they offer depend on how they choose to structure their literary agency or law practice.

In general (but not always) an agent markets a work on behalf of her clients and also negotiates the terms of a deal when the work is licensed to a publisher. Most lawyers, myself included, do not market the work of their clients to publishers, but they do negotiate publishing contracts. Agents are usually compensated through a commission (the going rate is 15% -- sometimes higher on foreign and film licenses) on everything the author earns from a particular work. Lawyers usually charge a flat fee or hourly rate, although some may charge on a percentage basis.

The most important difference between a lawyer and agent is that the lawyer-client relationship is completely confidential and legally privileged. A lawyer’s first obligation is to act in the best interest of the client -- even if that means acting against her own best interest. An agent may have many clients working with the same publisher and might be less inclined to advocate vigorously for an individual client if that means antagonizing the publisher.

A useful analogy might be to compare a literary agent with a real estate broker. You need a broker to sell a property, but you also need a lawyer to review the legal aspects of the transaction and make sure your interests are fully protected.

A writer with substantial international sales would benefit by using both an agent and an attorney.  Read More 
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A hostile question from a Pirate Bay supporter

Ask Author Law is a Q&A blog about legal issues for authors. I am a practicing attorney, freelance writer, and publishing consultant. I focus my law practice on the representation of authors, often consulting with or serving as co-counsel to other attorneys on publishing cases. This information is for general purposes only and is not legal advice. Asking a question or reading an answer does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Q: You should get your facts straight. You tweeted that various blog posts and tweets about the shutdown of the Pirate Bay were wrong and that members of the Pirate Party condoned theft. You said that copyrights could be “owned.” You are wrong! The copyright industry guards the rights of special interests over the rights of individuals. According to one leader of the Pirate Party: “The Pirate Bay have made themselves famous through more than ten years of existence as a guiding star on the Internet sky, against all odds, despite all attacks from the copyright industry. That’s made them into one of the most important symbols of freedom in our time, rightly celebrated worldwide.”

Another Pirate Party leader said: “If The Pirate Bay should disappear forever, it’s a given that other sites will fill the void over time. File-sharing cannot be stopped, it’s a global grassroots movement. But to make it work in practice, we need search engines like The Pirate Bay, capable of handling traffic from millions of people worldwide.” So why don’t you get down off your high horse and get with it instead of being a weak-willed apologist for the copyright industry? Long live The Pirate Bay! The efforts continue! Sharing is Caring!

A: Wow! You are entitled to your opinion, but I completely disagree. File sharing technology isn’t the problem. It’s the fact that you’re using technology to rationalize theft that I find so appalling. File sharing makes it easy to steal, but that doesn’t make stealing right. It’s also easy to get into a private yard along a residential street. Does that make it OK to step into someone’s yard and take the soccer ball sitting by the fence just because you happen to want a soccer ball and there’s one there? I say no. It’s not OK to declare that something should be “free” and then help yourself. Piracy is just plain wrong and glamorizing it doesn’t erase this fundamental flaw in your logic.

The word copyright means, literally, the right to copy. It is the legal expression of a fundamental property right that has existed since the earliest civilizations, but only emerged as distinct legal right after invention of the printing press. Before printing, the rights in words and symbols were perceived as a single property right that arose as soon as they were carved in stone, painted on skins, written on paper or fixed in another tangible medium of expression. Printing technology didn't change the concept of written works as property, but it triggered awareness of an important distinction -- the difference between the tangible object upon which written words were fixed and the intangible expression of a unique work created through the writer's selection and arrangement of those words. This distinction between physical property and intellectual property formed the basis of copyright law. Copyright was the first intellectual property right recognized in law as the technology revolution unraveled new strands in the ancient bundle of property rights.

Once you understand its history and how it works, copyright is actually quite straightforward. The first copyright was granted by a king to an early printer. It conveyed the right to own and use a printing press to reproduce and distribute various written works and established the legal rights related to the publication of written works. Of course, copying technology has evolved exponentially since the printing press was invented. But I contend that copyright law has marched along with the advancing technology to create, preserve, and protect the property rights of authors in their creations. In the United States, copyright law is authorized in the Constitution and spelled out in a federal statute, the Copyright Act (Title 17 of the United States Code). Copyright is internationally recognized as a basic human right essential to a civilized society. International copyright law, as embodied in treaties, organizations, associations, tribunals, laws and agreements, plays an increasingly important role in a changing world by protecting the rights of individual human beings to property, prosperity, access to information, and freedom of expression.

Since the advent of the internet, there have been wild and misguided claims that copyright law is outdated and that information wants to be free. Such claims are simply not true. You critics of copyright are really asking: "Now that it's cheap and easy, isn't it OK to steal words, music and art?" And I repeat that the answer is no. Copyright infringement is theft, pure and simple. Copyright owners are just as entitled to be protected by the law as are the owners of jewelry, bicycles, and soccer balls. Copyright law is clear and basic – words, pictures and sounds expressed in a distinctive way and written down or otherwise fixed in a tangible medium of expression are the property of the creator. "Thou shalt not steal," is a core tenant recognized in virtually every civilized society and it applies to the rights of authors today. No civilized society recognizes a right to steal physical property, even when it's easy to do so and tempting to rationalize. No civilized society recognizes the theft of intangible property, either. Copyright law has consistently adapted along with technology. Just as laws, both civil and criminal, provide penalties and sanctions for the theft of jewelry, bicycles, and soccer balls, copyright laws provides penalties for the theft of authors' rights. Stealing is stealing. And it's always been wrong.  Read More 
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Another question about trademarks for authors

Ask Author Law is a Q&A blog about legal issues for authors. I am a practicing attorney, freelance writer, and publishing consultant. I focus my law practice on the representation of authors, often consulting with or serving as co-counsel to other attorneys on publishing cases. This information is for general purposes only and is not legal advice. Asking a question or reading an answer does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Q: I’d like to know about titles and trademarks. I understand that titles cannot be copyrighted, but what about trademarks? I’d like to trademark the title of my book because it’s the first of a series of self-pub books and is the theme of motivational speaking I do. Is it possible to trademark my title? If not, can I trademark a concept belonging to me? Does that mean someone else can’t use this term in their title? If so, do I need to register my trademark somewhere like you do a copyright? Can I register it myself? What if I just use a trademark symbol without the hassle of registration. I hope you can shed some light on this perplexing topic. I need to go to law school!

A: Copyright protects the exact expression of ideas, but not the underlying facts or concepts. Trademark can protect underlying concepts and ideas if they identify the source of a product or service and help distinguish it from others in the minds of consumers. Trademark law really offers two kinds of protection – it protects consumers from being confused or misled about the source of products and services and it protects businesses from having the value invested in their brand and reputation from being ripped off by competitors. A good example from the field of publishing is the Dummies series. Consumers know what to expect when they buy a Dummies book and because the concept is trademarked, the publisher has a right to keep others from stealing readers by using a title that appends the words “For Dummies” to a subject.

Generally, you can’t get trademark protection for individual titles, but you can protect the overall concept of your series of books and speaking programs because the trademark tells consumers who you are and what you offer that is different from the offerings of other speakers and authors. Trademark protection might be possible for an individual title if it develops something lawyers call “secondary meaning” by becoming so closely identified with a particular work or author that readers have come to associate the title with a particular work. Gone With the Wind is an example of a title that has acquired secondary meaning.

From the description of your idea for a series of books and related programs, it sounds like your concept would qualify for trademark protection. It is permissible to use the TM symbol with any mark, even if it is unregistered. The R in a circle symbol, however, cannot be used unless the mark has be registered by the Patent and Trademark Office. While it’s possible to handle trademark registration yourself, it’s a much more complex process than copyright registration and there are numerous ways to get into trouble along the way. I routinely advise clients to save money by registering their own copyrights, but I almost always advise that trademark registrations be handled by an experienced intellectual property attorney.

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Does an editor have a copyright in my article?

Ask Author Law is a Q&A blog about legal issues for authors. I am a practicing attorney, freelance writer, and publishing consultant. I focus my law practice on the representation of authors, often consulting with or serving as co-counsel to other attorneys on publishing cases. This information is for general purposes only and is not legal advice. Asking a question or reading an answer does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Q: I sent an article query to a major woman’s magazine. To make a very long story a little shorter, the editor liked the idea, then convinced me to turn it into a personal essay, and she added some good stuff to it. But it took so long for it to get anywhere at the magazine that after, a couple months I sent it to a news magazine. The first magazine had it for about five months when the second called and said they wanted it. I told the second editor about the first magazine and said I'd have to see and get back to her. I informed the first editor that another publication wanted it. I told her that I was happy to have her magazine publish it, but I'd need to know this week. She acted quite outraged and hinted that because she gave me the idea for my essay she somehow co-owns the copyright. Is she being ridiculous? I hope so.

A: She is wrong! The editorial process does not give the editor an ownership stake in the copyright or the right to sue for infringement. A joint copyright must be intended from the beginning. This is still your work. She had ample time to push your essay through the editorial decision making process and she took too long. You had every right to submit your work elsewhere, even if it included her editorial enhancements.

To be on the safe side, though, you should register your copyright in the published version as soon as it comes out. If you have other published articles from this year to register at the same time, you can register all your articles for the same fee. When registering multiple published articles you use a form GR in addition to Form TX. It’s not difficult, but registration of published articles from periodicals can’t be done on line. http://www.copyright.gov/forms/formgr_tx.pdf. The effort is well worth it.

And speaking of registering your copyright:

Q: I have heard about a “poor man’s copyright” where you seal your manuscript in an envelope and mail it to yourself. Is this a way for writers to protect themselves?

A: That is a common myth. Real protection comes from registering your copyright, which is a fairly straightforward procedure. The United States Copyright Office has a wealth of information about how to get this done. http://www.copyright.gov. All authors should get to know this invaluable site.
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When the publisher doesn't pay

Ask Author Law is a Q&A blog about legal issues for authors. I am a practicing attorney, freelance writer, and publishing consultant. I focus my law practice on the representation of authors, often consulting with or serving as co-counsel to other attorneys on publishing cases. This information is for general purposes only and is not legal advice. Asking a question or reading an answer does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Q: A magazine owes me several thousand dollars and hasn't paid. I'm afraid that the publisher is experiencing major money problems. Do you think I should sue for my money? Can I go to small claims court?

A: A lawsuit is certainly one way to get your money, although I would advise it only after you have exhausted your other options, such as requesting intervention from a writers organization. When all else fails, though, litigation is something to consider. Sometimes the credible threat of a lawsuit will precipitate payment. Often the actual filing of a suit brings about a settlement. Sometimes a trial must be held. If you are going to threaten litigation, though, you should be prepared to go ahead. If you aren't ready, willing and able to sue, don't threaten. This means that you should carefully evaluate the potential for litigation at the first sign of trouble. Your collection strategy will be dictated in part by this evaluation.

Whether or not small claims court is practical for you depends on a variety of circumstances such as exactly how much you are owed, where the magazine is located and where you live, how strongly you feel about the situation, and how much time and effort you are willing to invest. Small claims courts are state courts and the rules vary from state to state. In most small claims courts there is a ceiling, called the jurisdictional limit, on how much can be recovered. The figure varies widely from state to state.

Most states require a small claim to be filed in the jurisdiction where the defendant is located. In New York, the suit must be filed in the same county, city or township where the defendant has a postal address. This means that if you live on the West Coast and wish to sue a Manhattan-based magazine, you'll have to file your suit in the small claims court in New York County, which is a division of the Civil Court of the City of New York. You can have someone file on your behalf, but you'll eventually have to appear in court yourself. So, if you live near New York and can appear in court easily, small claims court can be an effective way to get your money from a New York publisher. But if you live far away from the publisher or are owed more than the jurisdictional limit, then it's a much less practical option.

Something else to keep in mind is that even if you win a judgment, in small claims court or another court, you still have to collect it. If the magazine is, as you suspect, tottering on the brink of insolvency, winning in court may not get you any of those dollars you are owed.
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