• "Casting Call" by Linda Bamber, from "Taking What I Like"

• But there is one domain that self-published authors rarely think about, which mainstream publishers have traditionally managed: legal issues.
• you are the publisher and thus assume all the legal responsibilities.
• The use of images, quotes, and other materials from copyrighted works, the use of public domain works, the amount of a published works that can be quoted, portrayals of real people in fictional works, the standards for portraying famous and non-famous persons, portrayals of real people in non-fictional works, and the importance of copyright registration.
• insurance
• vet books
• I'm seeing a lot of agreements that, particularly for non-fiction books, require the author, rather than the publisher, to get necessary permissions and licenses to use any third party material.
• increasing number of lawyers who will assess legal issues in a book
• licensing fees are being charged that are not justified under copyright law for the use of public domain photos, artworks and other public domain works.
• Images or text in the public domain do not require permissions or licenses, period
• brief letter from an attorney, or just ignoring the threat altogether
• use of quotes
• There is no fixed rule about the number of words.
• "fair use" of the quote,
• the fair use doctrine is horribly imprecise.
• Most likely an after-the-fact license.
• example of fair use since the words are integral to the point
• If the person is famous you can say pretty much whatever you want,
• first amendment protects your rights on that.
• if it's a famous person and you are expressing your opinion and representing the truth fairly accurately, the first amendment
• it's a good idea to register the book with the federal Copyright Office.
• You own the copyright to the book as soon as you write it, but registration gives you greater protection and leverage should someone pirate your book

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