"Only one thing is impossible for God: To find any sense
in any copyright law on the planet."

Samuel Clemens

Authors and publishers need to have a clear understanding of copyright law and how these laws apply to their daily practice. IWS can help authors and publishers navigate copyright law and glean useful infomation from their copyright searches. Typical questions start with the basics of what is copyright and quickly go to specifics on things such as music rights and song lyrics.

• Can I copyright the title for my book?
• What are my rights of copyright?
• How do I find out if something is in the public domain?
• What is fair use and what constitutes copyright infringement?
• What are the best ways to conduct a copyright search?
• When should you copyright your work?
• How do I obtain a copyright for my book?
• What should I do if I discover a copyright infringement of my work?

Authors and publishers are responsible for obtaining permission to use copyrighted works that appear in their books. In most cases, difficulty in identifying the copyright owner of a work will not relieve a user of the legal obligation to secure permission to use the content. Copyright clearance is not just a professional courtesy. Failure to meet copyright law may have harmful financial and professional consequences.

If you want to use other people's materials, IWS is available to help you plan, implement, and document a detailed copyright search that will help establish a record of due diligence performed to obtain permission or release to use copyrighted materials. IWS can either search copyrights for you (see Estimates) or can teach you how to conduct copyright searches and document copyright information yourself.

BLOG - A new blog was launched in May 2011 under the title "The Copyright Detective" for timely information and tips about copyright issues.

PRESENTATIONS - The first step is to gain an awareness of copyright issues. Joyce and Dan Miller regularly make presentations at conferences and workshops.

CONSULTATION - A second way is to schedule a one-on-one consulting session to discuss your specific copyright issues and questions. Individual sessions are offered "as needed" and are charged at an hourly rate, with a one-hour minimum.

WORKSHOPS - If you live in or plan to visit Colorado, another option is participation in one of the half-day Basics of Copyright Clearance Workshops that Joyce and Dan conduct periodically. See testimonials from some who have attended.

Customized workshops up to four hours in length also are available to writers' groups, publishing organizations, trade associations. Extended workshops include a workbook and CD with active links for each participant. Contact us for more information.

ARTICLES -This website contains timely articles on copyright and some of them, such as the article below, are licensed under Creative Commons.