Hosted by the Intellectual Property & Copyright Committee
Writing about real people can raise a number of complicated legal issues for authors and editors. Laws governing defamation, privacy, and rights of publicity have a number of fact-specific rules, exceptions, and exceptions to exceptions that can be difficult to navigate without help. These issues can be an obstacle to publication, especially for nonfiction authors.
In collaboration with Authors Alliance, the AUPresses IP & Copyright Committee is pleased to offer this webinar on how to navigate these issues when working with authors. The webinar is based in part on Authors Alliance’s newly published open access legal guide, Writing About Real People, which is part of its larger series of guides on legal issues for authors. Authors Alliance created Writing About Real People specifically for nonfiction authors, focused on three main legal issues: false statements and portrayals (e.g., defamation), invasions of privacy, and rights of publicity and identity rights. The guide includes substantial practical guidance, addressing issues such as permission, documenting research, and working with an IRB.
This webinar will feature the Authors Alliance in discussion with AUPresses editors who have navigated these issues in working with authors. The webinar will reserve substantial time for audience Q&A.
Speakers: Rachel Brooke, Senior Staff Attorney at Authors Alliance; Lorri Hagman, executive editor for special projects at the University of Washington Press; Dave Hansen, Executive Director of Authors Alliance; Casey Kittrell, editor in chief at University of Texas Press; Ann Regan, editor in chief at the Minnesota Historical Society Press.
Moderator: Aurora Bell, associate editorial director at University of South Carolina Press.