On Thursday, August 29th at 7:30 PM The Last Bookstore in Los Angeles will host expert authors John L. Geiger and Howard Suber to discuss their new book, Creativity and Copyright: Legal Essentials for Screenwriters and Creative Artists.
Inspired by Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style, this elegant, short reference is the perfect guide for screenwriters and creative artists looking to succeed as industry professionals. Creativity and Copyright provides the necessary tools for creatives to advocate for themselves in an industry that is notorious for overlooking or strong-arming the labor force.
The authors are the perfect pair to address the needs and complicated issues of copyright:
John L. Geiger is a screenwriter and intellectual property attorney in Los Angeles with thirty-plus years of litigation and transactional experience representing a broad variety of entertainment professionals including screenwriters, producers, directors, and actors.
Howard Suber has taught generations of screenwriters, directors, producers, and film scholars during his more than fifty years at UCLA’s celebrated film school. He has also been a consultant and expert witness for Hollywood studios and networks on copyright and creative control matters.
Crucial things readers will learn from this book:
- Current copyright laws do far more for corporations than they do for creators. What, then, can creators do to help themselves? The authors address this crucial question.
- Most works on copyright focus on how the law constrains you, but Creativity and Copyright is equally concerned with how it liberates you. There are chapters titled, “What You Can Steal from Others” and “What Others Can Steal from You.” Too many creative people confuse copyright with plagiarism and needlessly censor themselves or waste time and money buying what they are free to use.
- Examines the full range of creation and what happens afterward, including collaboration and partnerships, selling your work, understanding contracts, protecting your rights and dealing with lawsuits.
- Includes case studies about Howard Suber’s own experiences in the courtroom as an expert witness for films such as Twister, The Sixth Sense, Amistad, and The Exorcist.
“A must read for those who create original work.”—Mike Medavoy, film producer and former studio head
“Put it on your bookshelf next to the dictionary and thesaurus.”—Daniel Pyne, showrunner, screenwriter, and author
“A no-regrets resource that finally reveals the creative power to be unleashed by your own legal muscle.”—Demetra J. MacBride, producer of Mystery Train, Night on Earth, When Pigs Fly, Coffee and Cigarettes, and Dead Man
“A handy, user-friendly book for screenwriters who are looking for immediate, precise answers to their most pressing questions.”—Denise Mann, head of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television’s Producers Program
RSVP for the event and pre-buy the book now.
