After finishing an assignment about legal issues at uni, my eyes were opened to the wonders of the copyright system. I know you all think - boring! But it was actually quite interesting!
My assignment was to do with the general copyright law as well as another legal issue regarding the writing industry - I chose libel. Because I am looking to become a fictional writer, I thought it would be in my interest to do something that I should be aware of as a writer.
The book I borrowed from the library was very informative, but not overloaded with information about the legal system - just enough to know to be aware of the processes. The book by Helen Shay, the Writers' Guide to Copyright & Law 3rd edition, is quite recent being published in 2005 and as I have seen has a newer edition published in 2009. After skimming the information about copyright and libel, I now believe every writer, editor or publisher should own a copy! I am going to get my own copy as soon as I can, as I found that it isn't about how to deal with lawsuits when they are handed to you but on how to avoid legal pursuits from the beginning - when you are first creating characters or scenes.
I won't go on too much about it but please check out my assignment on copyright and libel issues in a separate page on the left column.
Have a great weekend!
~ Adelle
I read your assignment, it was interesting to say the least. You are right, we all need to be aware of libel so we can avoid litigation!
ReplyDeleteThanks Nicole, I have no idea if it is what Irene wanted or not, but I thought it would be interesting for others to read on the blog.
ReplyDelete