PUBLISHED JUNE 1997 by Ivan Hoffman, Publishing Attorney — Authors may at some point run into a situation in which they interview someone and obtain information from them that ends up in a book or periodical. This information may be words, photographs, biographical background, or other material. Since we all have rights of privacy, it …

PUBLISHED JANUARY 1997 by Ivan Hoffman, Publishing Attorney — I’ve had an opportunity to review the contracts of a number of the important distributors of books in the United States. Each contract contains many similarities and some important differences. The independent publisher is well-advised to review the agreement presented with great care for there are …

PUBLISHED OCTOBER 1996 by Ivan Hoffman, Publishing Attorney — It frequently seems that book publishers are not in the business of selling books. Rather, it often appears that they are in the business of consigning books. Although the paperwork may be marked “INVOICE,” the reality is that some or indeed all of the books represented …

PUBLISHED JULY 1996 by Ivan Hoffman, Publishing Attorney — We often hear about book royalties in a fashion that is illusory. To discuss a royalty rate without at the same time discussing the basis for the rate’s calculation is like comparing apples to oranges. To banter about numbers like 8%, 9%, 17% or such is …

PUBLISHED JUNE 1996 by Ivan Hoffman, Publishing Attorney — The question frequently arises as to when a copyright goes into the public domain so that the material may be freely copied. The answer is not a simple, straightforward one since there have been a number of changes to the United States Copyright law that have …

PUBLISHED MAY 1996 by Ivan Hoffman, Publishing Attorney — At the inception of any new medium, those in the already existing media cry out about the imminent downfall of their cherished territory. This happened when television came in and those in the movie industry screamed about the loss of their markets. This happened when the …