Greetings!

In an effort to consolidate our social networking and communications (since we are on MySpace, and Twitter and various other networks .... whew), we have consolidated our blog posts into one location: http://ipprof.blogspot.com/

So visit us at http://ipprof.blogspot.com/ for the latest information about your intellectual property rights, interesting info about the publishing, film and music industries and how to maximize value and avoid the legal pitfalls in the business of entertainment.

Also, join our newsletter and submit your comments and questions and you may win FREE books! Visit http://...com/lwpnewsletter.

NEW WEBSITE ALERT: Our former sister site, www.literarylawguide.com has been temporarily highjacked (long story) so we've replaced it with www.THEliterarylawguide.com. Please make a note of it and visit the NEW sister site. Think of it as the twin sister!

Finally, be sure to visit our newly updated website @ www.legalwritepublications.com for free and other resources for writers and other creative folks!

Write on!

Tonya M. Evans
Legal Write Publications
www.legalwritepublications.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JANUARY 27, 2009
INFO: http://www.law.wvu.edu/streetknowledge
CONTACT:  andre.cummings@mail.wvu.edu

Professor Tonya M. Evans-Walls, Assistant Professor of Law at Widener University School of Law (Harrisburg Campus), will present at the West Virginia University College of Law's Symposium titled "The Evolution of Street Knowledge: Hip Hop's Influence on Law and Culture, featuring keynote presentations by Cornell West and Talib Kweli.

Professor Evans-Walls will participate in a panel titled "When MCs Meet JDs: Hip Hop's Complex Relationship with Intellectual Property." She will explore the impact of hip hop as an art form on copyright law; most notably the legal consequences of an artist's use of "sampling" and "mashups" to create transformative, independent works. Symposium papers are forthcoming.

This forum features a distinguished panel of legal experts and educators from across the nation. Admission is free and open to the public. Additionally, the event will be web cast live during scheduled times for panels and keynote speakers.

A MESSAGE FROM THE ORGANIZERS: The West Virginia University College of Law proudly presents a progressive exploration into the real and burgeoning impact that hip hop music and culture is having on U.S. law and on global culture. The Sports and Entertainment Law Society, together with the West Virginia University Festival of Ideas, the WVU Center for Black Culture and Research, the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy, the WVU Office of Social Justice, the WVU Black Law Student Association and Wolters Kluwer/Aspen Publishers join with the College of Law in assembling and presenting one of the most accomplished and diverse groups of academics and thinkers ever assembled to debate the profound global impact that hip hop culture is demonstrating for both good and ill.

We are proud to present: The Evolution of Street Knowledge: Hip Hop’s Influence on Law and Culture. Keynote addresses for this event will be provided by Cornel West and Talib Kweli. We invite you to join us on February 12th and 13th, 2009, in beautiful Morgantown, WV, in the Marlyn E. Lugar Courtroom on the campus of the West Virginia University Law Center. We look forward to providing and stimulating, insightful, forward-looking discussion and debate.

If you need information or have questions or comments about the conference, please feel free to contact one of the conference organizers at West Virginia University:

Conference Chairperson:

andré douglas pond cummings
Professor of Law
West Virginia University College of Law
101 Law Center Drive
Morgantown, WV  26506
andre.cummings@mail.wvu.edu
304.293.7776
http://ssrn.com/author=484849

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Legal Write Publications E-Brief
(feel free to share with your list and others who may be interested)

What's New!

Upcoming Teleclasses

*July: Legal Matters that Matter to Writers
*August: Successfully Navigating the Murky Waters of Fair Use, Public Domain & Permissions

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Quick Links

Visit our Site - www. legalwritepublications. com
Writer Resources - www. legalwritepublications. com/resources. htm
About Us - www. legalwritepublications. com/about. htm
Visit our Store - www. legalwritepublications. com/books. htm
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Join Our Mailing List http://visitor. constantcontact. com/email. jsp?m=1011165965564&id=preview
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July 6, 2008

Greetings!

I am excited to announce the beginning of my "Lit Law for Writers on the Go! " teleclass series. Since the announcement to my mailing list just a few short days ago, the response has been tremendous! For less than a tank of gas (much less!) you can attend class via telephone by dialing a toll-free conference line in the comfort of your home and empower yourself with everything writers need to know about the law.

All teleclasses are informative and engaging presentations tailored specifically for writers and independent publishers who want straightforward, clear and concise answers to the most common and pressing legal issues in the publishing industry.

Because of the detailed presentation, handouts and Q&A session for each teleclass, registration is limited to just 30 participants.

So be sure to register early to reserve your space!

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July Teleclass: Legal Matters That Matter to Writers

Monday, July 21st: Legal Matters that Matter to Writers

Time: 8:00 -9:00 PM Eastern

After attending this class, you will understand the basics on copyright and trademark laws as they apply to writers and the "why, when, and how" of copyright registration, including why the "Poor Man's Copyright is a MYTH! We will also touch on the important contracts every writer should know about, and what you need to do during the writing phase to protect your work and to significantly reduce the possibility of exposing yourself to lawsuits that could result when you write about real people and events or incorporate other creative works in your own work.

Early Registration: Just $24.95 - Save $5.00!
NOTE: Discount ends midnight on July 7th.
Register Now! http://Legalmatters. eventbrite. com

Regular Registration: Only $29.95.
Register Now! http://Legalmatters. eventbrite. com

For more information about these and all other events and classes, visit www. legalwritepublications. com

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August Teleclass: Successfully Navigating the Murky Waters of Fair Use, Public Domain & Permissions

Monday, August 11th: Successfully Navigating the Murky Waters of Fair Use, Public Domain & Permissions

Time: 8:00 - 9:00 PM Eastern

After attending this class, you will understand how to:

* incorporate other written and creative works in your writing

* how and when to obtain permission to use other works (like pictures, song lyrics, quotations and other protected materials)

* how to own or acquire rights in works created by other people by using a work-for-hire agreement

* and the critical and often misunderstood difference between fair use and public domain.

Early Registration: Just $24.95 - save $5.00!
NOTE: Discount ends midnight on August 4th.
Register Now! http://fairuse. eventbrite. com

Regular Registration: Only $29.95.
Register Now! http://fairuse. eventbrite. com

For more information about these and all other events and classes, visit www. legalwritepublications. com

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Be sure to take advantage of this opportunity to empower yourself with the information you need to turn your writing hobby into a writing career or to take your writing career to the next level. Don't forget to register early. All classes are limited to just 30 participants for more individualized attention.

*See* you in class!

Write on!

Tonya M. Evans-Walls
Legal Write Publications
www. legalwritepublications. com

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Legal Write Publications | PO Box 25216 | Philadelphia | PA | 19119

I hope you'll join me as I take LA by storm during this year's BookExpo America! my book, Contracts Companion for Writers, is nominated for a ForeWord Magazine Best of 2007 Award and winners will be announced at BookExpo on Friday, May 30th.

Plus, I am presenting literary law workshops during PMA University Tuesday-Thursday, signing complimentary copies of my books on Friday, May 30th and Saturday, May 31st and speaking during the African American Pavilion Ceremonies Saturday afternoon. Check out my Events page for more information.

Please visit www. legalwritepublications. com for all the event details or e-mail me at info@legalwritepublications.com.

Also, at LONG last, I will begin to blog regularly to answer questions again about literary law, including questions about publishing contracts, copyright, fair use, public domain, and trademark, just to name a few!

Do you have a question? Send me a message. Although I cannot answer every question that comes through, there are some commonly asked questions that would benefit the entire list so I will focus my responses and suggested resources on those questions.

WRITE and SHINE!

Tonya Evans-Walls, Author, Publisher, Lawyer

Contracts Companion for Writers
Copyright Companion for Writers
Literary Law Guide for Authors

www. legalwritepublications. com

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In December, the recording industry's lobby, Recording Industry Association of America, announced its latest position on digital copying of music. Specifically, the RIAA posits that copying music from a CD to a person' computer -- commonly known as ripping -- constitutes actionable copyright infringement. In effect, the RIAA says NO to transferring music from a CD to your PC.

Only time will tell whether RIAA's position will hold water. But the Washington Post and Huffington Post have reported the RIAA has already initiated a law suit against someone for ripping music from a CD and saving on a hard drive in a shared file folder. This calls into question all of the music you've transferred from your CDs to, for example, an iTunes library! This time they may have gone too far. Stay tuned, as this story continues to develop.

Excerpt from Chapter 1 of Copyright Companion for Writers by Tonya M. Evans-Walls titled "What is Copyright and Why Should You Care" To order visit www.literarylawguide.com or your favorite bookseller.

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Dictionary.com defines plagiarism as "a piece of writing that has been copied from someone else and is presented as being your own work," or "taking someone's words or ideas as if they were your own." We're all familiar with the concept from high school or college. A paper or project is due at 9:00 a.m. on Monday; but at 9:00 p.m. the night before, the student has barely typed the first word. Panic sets in and, perhaps, situational ethics takes hold. Whether overwhelmed, imprecise, or just plain lazy, the student takes a bit from here and a bit from there, and soon a finished product appears—one whose words or thoughts are not 100 percent original—and the student presents it as his or her own work. That's plagiarism.

But plagiarism is not just for pimple-faced students anymore. It's gone high tech now. I am sure countless high-powered execs and law partners have presented the words of someone else as their own. And let's not forget the many scandals involving journalists, which seems to me even more onerous since, at least in theory, a journalist's entire profession rests on intellectual honesty in writing and reporting about our world. There was the infamous New York Times scandal involving the writer Jason Blair; other problems at that paper involving Charlie LeDuff and Bernard Weinraub; Jack Kelley, who resigned from USA Today—the list goes on and on.

Some people are confused about the difference between plagiarism and copyright infringement. Think of it this way: All plagiarism is infringement, but not all infringement is plagiarism. The reason is that copyright owners hold a bundle of rights (as discussed in chapter 2 of Copyright Companion for Writers). Copyright owners have the right to copy, distribute, make derivative works from, perform, and display their work; and to allow or prevent others from doing so regardless of whether proper attribution is given. And, contrary to popular belief, there is no set number of words that can be used without permission. So if you are using someone else's copyrighted work in your own, and no fair use exception applies, you should seek permission—not just properly attribute the work to the owner. Attribution is a good start, but by itself it's not enough to avoid infringement.

So someone can actually copy another's work, say "I've copied this from Patsi Pen," and still be liable for copyright infringement—again, depending on the fair use analysis and assuming the work is not in the public domain. But plagiarizers don't even bother to properly attribute the borrowed text. They simply claim that all ideas and thoughts as expressed on the page (or computer screen) are original. Even if the plagiarizers do not actually state that they are expressing original ideas in a literary work, the lack of such statements does not remove the taint of plagiarism.

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For more information and to purchase a copy of Copyright Companion for Writers or any other book or e-book in the Literary Entrepreneur Series--, visit www.legalwritepublications.com or click on the book link below!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: DECEMBER 23, 2007..:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

CONTACT: info@legalwritepublications.com

TONYA M. EVANS-WALLS ACCEPTS OFFER FOR

TENURE-TRACK PROFESSORSHIP AT

WIDENER UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW

On December 21, 2007, Dean Linda L. Ammons announced to the full faculty of the Widener University School of Law that Professor Tonya Evans-Walls will be joining the Harrisburg tenure track faculty as an Assistant Professor of Law effective July 1, 2008. Evans-Walls, currently on leave from her firm, TME Law, first joined the faculty in the fall of 2007 as a Visiting Professor. She elected to participate this year in the rigorous and competitive interview process with four other esteemed candidates to compete for the coveted 2008 tenure-track position.

 Since 2003, Evans-Walls has served as managing member of a Philadelphia-based boutique law firm that represents clients in the areas of entertainment law, intellectual property, estate planning, and municipal finance. In 2006, she joined forces with Stephanie Saint-Cyr, Esquire (Of Counsel) to expand the trusts & estates and municipal finance departments. She also served as Adjunct Professor at York College of Pennsylvania, where she taught Music Licensing, Publishing, and Copyright.

 "I am very honored and excited about this wonderful opportunity!" remarked Evans-Walls when asked her feelings about transitioning into academia. "I loved the learning process as a student and truly enjoy being on the other side of the lectern and encouraging my students to view well established legal doctrines through a twenty-first century lens." Evans-Walls also believes in illuminating for her students the practical applications of legal theory and the importance of civility and professional responsibility. Evans-Walls will teach first year property, intellectual property, and trusts and estates, as well and seminars in entertainment.

Evans-Walls, who has distinguished herself as an intellectual property and literary law expert, is a published author of an award-winning series of legal reference guides for writers and publishing industry professionals. The series is distributed internationally and was selected by Writer's Digest Book Club® as club selections for its members.

Recently, her book titled Copyright Companion for Writers was named Best Reference Book of 2007 by USA Book News. Additionally Evans-Walls was named a "Rising Star" in the December 2007 issue of Pennsylvania Super Lawyers.

Evans-Walls attended Northwestern University on a full tennis scholarship and received her law degree, cum laude, from Howard University School of Law where she served as the editor-in-chief of the Howard Law Journal. She is Chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Sports Entertainment and Art Law Committee and is a nationally recognized speaker who presents to various audiences regularly on publishing law, intellectual property law and estate planning issues.

Visit her websites at www.legalwritepublications.com and www.tmelaw.net. And her award-winning legal reference website for writers at www.literarylawguide.com.

Greetings!

I hope this post finds you well and in great spirits as we ease into the holiday season. Well, you may be moving at warp speed by this point, but I say "ease in" because I've been forced by circumstances to sit still. I ruptured my Achilles tendon playing tennis and as a result, all those errands I just had to run and commitments I just had to meet ... well, their urgency doesn't seem so urgent now that I am required to stay home, stay off my feet and rest. If you or someone you know has suffered through this before, then you know one does not rush through anything post-rupture. Anything.

I could go on about all the bad things about this injury but I won't bore you with my story of woe. Fact is, this is still one of my favorite times of the year so I plan to enjoy and to give and receive holiday cheer in spite of these present circumstances.

A dear friend always encourages me to swim with (rather than against) the current. So I'm diving in head first in faith that this too shall pass. And I encourage you to do the same!

SO WHAT'S UP @ www.legalwritepublications.com ...

~SUPER 2-FOR-$30 BOOK SALE on our Literary Entrepreneur Series titles (click here for details).

~NEWS YOU CAN USE: I recently added articles to the RESOURCES PAGE and new resource links specifically with the best interests of the rights of writers in mind! I also created an "Ask The Expert" link for you to submit general questions and information requests. Surf on over to the website and check it out!

(Holiday) Cheers,

Tonya

Excerpt from Chapter 4 of Copyright Companion for Writers by Tonya M. Evans-Walls titled "Copyright in the Digital Age" To order visit www.literarylawguide.com or your favorite bookseller.

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In chapters 2 and 3 [of Copyright Companion for Writers], I covered the basics of how copyright comes into existence, what a copyright owner has the right to do, and why and how to register your copyright. This chapter explores both the benefits and the challenges of digital technology as it relates to copyright formation and protection.

There is no doubt that new technology has had a substantial impact on the trade publishing industry. The changes brought about by technology are exciting and inspiring, but also troubling and challenging. A whole new world—the World Wide Web—offers unprecedented access to information, peers, and consumers. Continual accessibility to information and cut-and-paste technology have led to protection problems and widespread "sharing" and "use," which in turn have led to widespread infringement of perfect digital copies.

This phenomenon has led to a generational shift in the appreciation of copyright and infringement, and a fundamental misperception that "if it's accessible on the Internet, it's free." And it's not just a sense that information on the Web is free: people who have that belief also believe they are somehow entitled to use the information. So as advances in technology challenge the effectiveness of existing copyright laws, the balance between an author's rights to control work and the public's right to benefit from creativity becomes more tenuous.

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For more information and to purchase a copy of Copyright Companion for Writers or any other book or e-book in the Literary Entrepreneur Series--, visit www.legalwritepublications.com or click on the book link below!