Basics of Intellectual Property and First Amendment Law in the Publishing Industry | Mechanics' Institute

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Basics of Intellectual Property and First Amendment Law in the Publishing Industry
with Jennifer Chen Tran, Esq. and Joseph Perry, Esq.

Presented in partnership with the San Francisco Writers Conference.

This event is being held virtually over Zoom. Please register via Eventbrite and the Zoom credentials will be sent to you before the event starts.

There are many potential legal issues writers confront when they are writing their book. Whether you are concerned with potential copyright infringement, how to write about real people you know, or other challenges, this presentation will help you understand what you can and cannot do and when you should seek legal counsel. You will learn, among other things, what a copyright is (and what qualifies for registration); what is a trademark (and what authors need to be aware of); what is fair use (and how to best protect authors using this legal doctrine); what is defamation (and multiple considerations to heed); and better understand the right of publicity (and potential issues with working with celebrities). Attendees will walk away with an understanding of the contours of intellectual property law and how to better protect themselves as writers.

Jennifer Chen Tran is an agent at Bradford Literary and a publishing attorney. Jennifer is a skilled and shrewd negotiator with over a decade of experience in the legal and publishing industry. After law school, she served as Of Counsel to The New Press, a not-for-profit publisher based in NYC, where she handled their publishing contracts and permissions. As an attorney, she has also represented visual artists, entrepreneurs, writers and others individuals in the creative space. She has obtained favorable results for her clients in legal and publishing disputes, avoiding costly litigation and finding a win-win solution for all parties involved. She is also very familiar with obtaining rights reversions for her clients so that they can continue to breathe second life into their literary work. She obtained her Juris Doctorate from Northeastern School of Law and a Bachelors of Arts in English Literature from Washington University in St. Louis. Follow her on twitter @jenchentran

Joseph Perry is a publishing attorney and literary agent at The Law Offices of Joseph J. Perry, P.C. and Perry Literary, Inc. respectively. As an attorney, Joseph counsels clients in the publishing industry, where he drafts and negotiates various publishing agreements, conducts pre-publication review of manuscripts, registers copyrights, and helps authors start their own publishing companies. As an agent he represents bestselling cookbook authors, athletes, musicians, journalists, influencers, academics, and more.Joseph obtained his Juris Doctor from St. John’s University School of Law and a Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts in English from St. Bonaventure University. He is a graduate of New York University’s Summer Publishing Institute.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

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