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Rating: 
Summary: excellent starting point for multimedia copyrights
Review: For multimedia developers, this book is a great stepping stone. It explains the entire copyright process, including what forms to fill when and why. It also goes in depth about copyright infringment and attaining rights. As a bonus, it includes samples of library of congress forms, and also contains the actual forms needed to apply for a copyright. This book is inexpensive, and i'd recommend to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: excellent starting point for multimedia copyrights
Review: For multimedia developers, this book is a great stepping stone. It explains the entire copyright process, including what forms to fill when and why. It also goes in depth about copyright infringment and attaining rights. As a bonus, it includes samples of library of congress forms, and also contains the actual forms needed to apply for a copyright. This book is inexpensive, and i'd recommend to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Informative but overly verbose and lacking...
Review: insofar as providing a basic and customizable yet still fairly comprehensive copyright/terms of use notice that could be included with a software package. As a non-lawyer, I feel that just placing a (c) with a company name and 'All Rights Reserved' notice must somehow be insufficient. Otherwise the length of the terms of use verbiage present in so many public and commercial software products would not be so descript and specific. If Nolo had provided such a notice for use by the book's readers I would probably rate the book as 5 stars rather than 4. I found it particularly disconcerting to find that once your software is published (made available for sale or download) that it is automatically protected by copyright even without obtaining an official copyright from the government. I personally feel like that key point should have been made clear and prior to any other issues being stated in the text. I specifically had avoided making my software available for distribution becuase I, obviously stupidly, assumed that you needed to obtain an official copyright prior to making software available for public use. I also found it once again disconcerting to learn that it may take upwards of a year until official notice of a copyright is obtained from the US Copyright office. Another point that in my mind is essential and should have been made clear and early in the text. Unfortunately it wasn't. Minus those points the content is (generally) clear and concise where legal precedent allows. Not that there are instances where that is not true. However I feel like much of the verbiage could have been eliminated while still maintaining the clarity. I would recommend that any readers begin with 'Chapter 15 : Other legal protections for software' as the distinctions between trade secret law, patents, trademark, and copyright are illuminated. This was certainly one of if not the most enlightening chapter of the book for me and I would have logically liked to have had those distinctions made early so as to lay the foundation for all future topics. Well worth the investment but tbere is certainly room for improvement and additional resources.
Rating:
Summary: Informative but overly verbose and lacking...
Review: insofar as providing a basic and customizable yet still fairly comprehensive copyright/terms of use notice that could be included with a software package. As a non-lawyer, I feel that just placing a (c) with a company name and 'All Rights Reserved' notice must somehow be insufficient. Otherwise the length of the terms of use verbiage present in so many public and commercial software products would not be so descript and specific. If Nolo had provided such a notice for use by the book's readers I would probably rate the book as 5 stars rather than 4. I found it particularly disconcerting to find that once your software is published (made available for sale or download) that it is automatically protected by copyright even without obtaining an official copyright from the government. I personally feel like that key point should have been made clear and prior to any other issues being stated in the text. I specifically had avoided making my software available for distribution becuase I, obviously stupidly, assumed that you needed to obtain an official copyright prior to making software available for public use. I also found it once again disconcerting to learn that it may take upwards of a year until official notice of a copyright is obtained from the US Copyright office. Another point that in my mind is essential and should have been made clear and early in the text. Unfortunately it wasn't. Minus those points the content is (generally) clear and concise where legal precedent allows. Not that there are instances where that is not true. However I feel like much of the verbiage could have been eliminated while still maintaining the clarity. I would recommend that any readers begin with 'Chapter 15 : Other legal protections for software' as the distinctions between trade secret law, patents, trademark, and copyright are illuminated. This was certainly one of if not the most enlightening chapter of the book for me and I would have logically liked to have had those distinctions made early so as to lay the foundation for all future topics. Well worth the investment but tbere is certainly room for improvement and additional resources.
Rating: 
Summary: First step in due diligence and protecting your work
Review: This book focuses solely on what you need to know about software copyrights and how to go about obtaining one. In addition to covering the basics of copyrights, you're shown how to sell copyrights, what to do in the event of infringement, and the limits of protection that a copyright affords you. Note that patents offer much stronger protection. It comes with the following forms: * Copyright Application for Software (Forms PA, VA and CA, Request for Special Handling, continuation forms, search request forms and cover sheets that are explained in the book and are required to file for a copyright. * Eight sample forms in electronic format that are covered in the book. The book is up-to-date (published in late 2001), easy to read, especially considering the thorny legal issues involved, and is complete enough to assure some degree of due diligence when researching copyright issues and making business decisions based on that research.
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