Creative Theft – Plagiarism vs. Copyright Infringement
“Good artists copy; great artists steal.” The quote is widely attributed to Picasso. Most likely, the idea existed before Picasso made it famous. The literature is littered with much older discussions of how artistic theft...
Cocky: One Writer’s Adjective, Another Writer’s Trademark – For Now
Romance writers lit up social media last week over a recent trademark for the adjective “cocky.” As with any genre, romance novels have a specific set of conventions. Open any romance book and you will find a tone that ranges...
Using Music and Film Clips Without Violating Copyright Law
If you are creating book trailers, audiobooks, or online videos that include preexisting music or film clips, copyright law can be one of your biggest headaches. The first step to avoid copyright violations is to identify who...
Confessions, Trials, and Fiction
A writer this week asked about the use of confessions in the criminal trial process. A character in the writer’s plot has signed a confession admitting facts necessary for conviction of a crime. The writer wanted a short...
Media Liability Insurance – Do Authors Need It?
Most manuscripts are not contentious enough to land an author in court. Some writers, however, do venture into highly controversial topics (like those found in memoirs or biographies). Or their fiction includes real people or...