Publishing and the Law

Catalog description

Intellectual property is the foundation of publishing. In any medium, such property is protected and regulated by copyrights, trademarks, and other laws and regulations, as well as licenses and other contractual arrangements. This course examines the primary legal issues that authors, editors, publishers, marketers, agents, lawyers, and other media professionals deal with in the business of publishing books, magazines, and other print and digital content. This course will survey the foundations of current media law, including the First Amendment, libel, privacy, the right of publicity, fair use, and advertising. Students will be introduced to the key terms of publishing agreements and the art of contract negotiation. Throughout the course, legal precedents will be studied, particularly how they apply to today’s rapidly evolving media landscape. Students will gain an understanding of key aspects of media and publishing law in order to identify potential legal issues and apply practical solutions in the real-life media world. Students will examine real-world hypotheticals in class discussions and written assignments during the course of the semester. In our in-class Career Speaker Series, students will hear from seasoned industry insiders throughout the semester who will visit our classroom to share their wisdom about how to have a successful career in publishing.