Product Description
After your casebook, "Casenotes" will be your most important reference source for the entire semester.It is the most popular legal briefs series available, with over 140 titles, and is relied on by thousands of students for its expert case summaries, comprehensive analysis of concurrences and dissents, as well as of the majority opinion in the briefs. ... Read more

Product Description
To compete effectively in digital business markets, you need to understand how the law affects your digital technology business.

The contents include detailed plain English business and legal guidance on:

* Securing Intellectual Property for Digital Business
* Digital Contract Fundamentals
* Open Source Rules and Strategies
* Development, Consulting and Outsourcing
* Software as a Service
* Business Software Licensing, Partnering and Distribution
* Web and Internet Agreements
* Privacy on the Internet
* Digital Multimedia Content Clearance and Distribution
* IT Standards
* Web and Mobile Technology and Content Deals
* Video Game Development Deals
* International Distribution
* User-Created Content, Mash-ups, MMOGs and Web Widgets
* And Much More

Comprehensive Business and Legal Guidance including

* Securing Intellectual Property for Digital Business
* Digital Contract Fundamentals
* Open Source Rules and Strategies
* Development, Consulting and Outsourcing
* Software as a Service
* Business Software Licensing, Partnering, and Distribution
* Web and Internet Agreements
* Privacy on the Internet
* Digital Multimedia Content Clearance and Distribution
* IT Standards
* Video Game Development and Content Deals
* International Distribution
* User-Created Content, Mash-Ups, MMOGs, and Web Widgets
* And Much More

Key Features:

* Up-to-the-Moment Legal Guide

* In Plain English

* Includes 38 Contract and Web Forms in the Book and Online ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Well worth the money
It's an enormous book, but then, it covers an enormous amount of material. It has easily justified its cost: it's already saved me from contacting my attorney over certain issues that I just needed confirmation on, and I expect it'll shorten the conversations I do need to have.

One thing to note: even with its size, there are a few instances where you get the "on the one hand", but no "on the other". Of course, when you are digging down to that level, it's probably time to call your attorney in any case.

Keyword for this book: Companion
If you are a digital media focused contractor/consultant/freelancer, an entrepreneur across any industry, or above the director-level within your organization's IT/IS group, this book needs to be on your desk!

Since the mid-90s I have been working within the digital world. I currently head the digital practice for an advertising agency with regional, national, and global clients.

Since I picked this book up over a month ago, I have referenced it at least 3-5 times per week.

I have used it for:
- guidance (web and mobile deal making)
- reference (open source licensing and usage)
- direction (~40 sample agreements and a critical section around beta-testing agreements)
- education/learning (clearing content for applications and legal rules for mashups)
- curiosity (the entire video game deals chapter)
- enlightenment ("clickwrap" verse "browserwrap" agreements)

If you have ever:
- googled for example legal agreements
- reused someone elses website T&C, privacy statement, etc.
- thought about creating a site/app that utilizes user generated content, scraping, mash ups, syndication, social media distribution, etc.
- engaged with a company as a vendor or used technology vendors
- worked with global-focused businesses, trademarks, or digital properties
- looked into patenting an idea/invention
- started your own digital-based company
- (and I could go on and on and on)

... then get this book!! It is a companion. It is a reference. It is a critical resource to have in your office.

--------------------------

Random learning: It is legal to use a competitors trademarked brand names within the meta-tags of your site.

extremely clear and practical
Very clear, practical and complete.

The first half of the book consists of explanations of concepts (with lots of clear examples), while the second part is comprised of 20 varied relevant (and downloadable -- on their site) legal documents.

A must have for any serious IT professional
The law is the law, and you are far better off knowing the laws as it applies to IT about copyright, trademarks, domain names, software patents, trade secrets, NDA's, NCA's, open source licenses, consulting agreements, SLA's, beta test agreements, EULA's, SaaS TOS, commercial distribution agreements, privacy, digital content agreements, videogame publishing agreements, foreign distribution agreements, and what happens if you try to sell your encryption software to a Denied Person.

Oh my aching head!

Fortunately, Gene Landy has summarized all the above and more into language understandable by people not attorney's, added 38 juicy contracts and forms and authored a book you need, now: "The IT / Digital Legal Companion: A Comprehensive Business Guide to Software, IT, Internet, Media and IP Law".

I've been reading up on Software as a Service, chapter 13, and in 24 pages Gene did an excellent job of summarizing what you need to know about SaaS from a legal point of view. This book, published in June, is very up to date, logically organized and includes the seasoned judgment of a practicing IT attorney.

If you are in the IT industry, you have no excuse for not owning this book.

What every software marketer needs...
This legal overview is absolutely what every sw marketer needs: if (s)he is new, it's a great initiation, and for a more war-worn guy like me (20+ years...) it's a great recapitulation of all you thought you knew, but had forgot, plus all the stuff you just never knew. One can use it as a reference, as a do-it-yourself, or as a backgrounder to prepare for working with a lawyer. The latter is the most probable scenario, but the book will save you tons of money for your lawyer's not having to spend time educating you and your team first. ... Read more

Product Description
SOFTWARE AND INTERNET LAW, Third Edition, is an excellent choice for courses that cover all aspects of computer law. This careful exploration of computer software, the Internet, and e-commerce focuses on intellectual property, licensing, and antitrust law to give students a solid introduction to the full range of the field.<p class=copymedium>This proven teaching tool:<li class=copymedium>provides a combination of original text, significant cases, challenging problems, and exemplary questions along with the authors¿ insight from their cumulative experience<li class=copymedium>illuminates the many roles of lawyers who service the software industry and the Internet<li class=copymedium>supplies broad coverage, from commercial issues to constitutional issues such as free speech<li class=copymedium>is written by authors who are leaders in the field, well known for their scholarship<li class=copymedium>reviews technical terms for the novice<li class=copymedium>is accompanied by a useful Teacher¿s Manual with sample syllabi, exam questions, course suggestions, and answers to all the problems in the text</ul><p class=copymedium>The authors incorporate much new material in the Third Edition:<li class=copymedium>extensive updating of the Internet chapters<li class=copymedium>substantial expansion of the discussion of the legal issues surrounding open source<li class=copymedium>additional discussions of the problems of spyware, malware, and computer and data security<li class=copymedium>new material on the enforcement of clickwrap and on browsewrap licenses<li class=copymedium>updated treatment of digital copyright, including the Supreme Court¿s decision in MGM v. Grokster<li class=copymedium>more attention paid to the important new issue of Internet keywords in trademark law</ul> ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great for people who are interested in software licensing!!
The book contains many useful and comprehensive information about software and the Internet law in various aspects. I can say that, comparing with other similar law books I have read, this book does provide most cutting-edge issues, specifically software licensing. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is an all new companion volume to the popular "Patent Strategies for Business", third edition, by the same author. This new book has chapters about e-Patents, i-Patents, and service patents, including new rules to invent software and Internet applications (and to patent the result), current legal developments, intellectual property audits, related forecasts of trends in technology and business, and case studies of the finance of technology businesses.A must read for the CEO, General Counsel, Director of e-Commerce, Venture Capitalist, M & A analyst, investor, or Chief Technology Officer of any dot.com, or e-commerce project. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Lightweight, dependent on another book, and showing its age.
Mr. Glazier has the makings of a blockbuster PowerPoint presentation here; unfortunately, he stretched it into a book. Of nearly 200 pages, fully half is devoted to reprinting information (court cases, patent applications) which is available online for free. While convenient access to such detail might appeal to some, it is in sharp contrast to the broad-brush approach Mr. Glazier takes in his original text.

Chapters are interrupted continually by cross-references to the "companion volume" (Patent Strategies for Business, third edition), and one notably unhelpful section effectively says: "You know that chapter from the other book? Well, add this, subtract that, and change the other, and then you'll know what I think about the subject at hand." With so much effort given to padding for length, you'd think he'd just reprint the whole chapter in modified form. It would have been more useful.

Finally, more than 20 pages are devoted to "Tech Trends" -- or, a patent attorney's prognostications about technology's future. As the book was copyrighted in 2000, the accuracy (or inaccuracy) of the opinions is now mostly a matter of historical record, and this 10% of the book is now not particularly useful to anyone.

In summary: if you appreciate sweeping overviews that require very little time to read, this may be for you. If you want detail, depth of analysis, or an up-to-date review, look elsewhere.

Wonderful book! Worth a fortune!
The new practical ideas in this book are very valuable.The case studies of how real businesses have used patent strategies in software and business methods bring to life how this can affect my business today to help the bottom line.The latest legal developments and cases are analyzed, but there is no useless lawyer-speak, instead the author brings out the rules for running a business profitably that are buried between the lines of the cases.Obviously, this author is on the front lines of the patent wars, and brings back here what he has learned that we can all use.Good for the CEO, Chairman, or General Counsel of any business that uses software or the internet, about how to use all that new patent mumbo-jumbo for revenue, profit and shareholder value.A great e-companion and update to the classic "Patent Strategies for Business" by the same author.

I particularly liked the chapters on 'Patent Denial' [a laugh-riot, and it's not easy to be funny about patents], and the updated rules on 'Virtual Genius and How to Invent on Demand' [the author makes it sound easy, but he as invented several patents himself, and he is a patent lawyer, so he must know-- I am glad he decided to tell the rest of us].It will be interesting to see how the 'Tech Trends' and forecasts play out.The survey of the new patent practices in banking [yes, that's banking patents] was surprising and enlightening -- and I look forward to a more in depth survey by the same author.The 'Patent Audit' chapters are also useful.

I expect an ROI on my investment in this book of about a zillion percent.

terrible
This is a terrible book, a scam if you will.In the first place, charging [$$$]for a under 200 pages, and with very small demensions, is outright theft. Secondly, the book is merly a summary of court cases, which can be obtained freely on the internet or from the US patent office web site, in greater detail.Thirdly, the author repeats himself many, usually entire paragraphs worded in slightly different ways.I can only think is is an attempt to "pat" the book and add more pages.

Useful but could have been more meaty
This book provides a little over 80 pages of easily read advice on patent strategies involving software/internet-based business methods.It provides a quick overview of two landmark cases.More importantly, it suggests areas for patenting and checklists for IP strategy.The book was helpful as a broad overview.However, I thought that more detail should have been included.The last 100 pages were filled with "Tech Trends" and reprinted case data.The "Tech Trends" chapters were the author's predictions on the future of tech, and while interesting (and occasionally incorrect), don't include any patent-related analysis.Also, the book dates from late 1999 and an included survey chapter analyzed patents up to Jan 1999.Given that the State Street Bank case wrapped in 1998, it's a shame that more recent analyses weren't provided either in the book or on an associated web page, especially since many patents had just been filed before the survey.

The bottom line: useful, informative book but could have used more detail, newer data, and incorporated information from the companion volume.The author refers to strategies such as "submarining", "picket fence", and "leap frog" without giving a single line of explanation, instead plugging the companion volume.I have encountered those strategies in other legal readings/coursework, and I believe a few pages for each concept (in replacement of the chapters on Tech Trends) would have greatly enhanced the value of this book.

Legal and strategic advice that is invaluable
When considering this book be aware that it is a supplement to the author's book titled "Patent Strategies for Business" to which frequent references are made.

That said, this book is still a valuable resource without "Patent Strategies for Business", which I have not read. What I like about this book is the number of real and hypothetical case studies, with well written legal analysis interwoven into the narrative.Much of the book is written in the ponderous legalese you'd expect from such a book, and this is necessary to ensure that there is no ambiguity communicated when legal points are made. However, there is also a lot of plain talk and common sense imparted, which makes this book readable by lay persons.

I personally gained a lot of excellent information from the book, including the fact that patents can be driven by legal as well as technology and marketing strategies.What this means is existing products can be modified with the advice of patent attorneys to be patentable and a part of a company's patent portfolio.This is an interesting and unique approach, and can (and should) be the basis for increasing a company's value.

Also excellent are the chapters that address updating existing products and services for the Internet, making them possibly patentable, and chapter 8's excellent set of steps for intellectual property audits.

Overall, with or without the primary book ("Patent Strategies for Business"), this is must reading for any business, small or large, that wants to capitalize on potential intellectual property assets to increase their net worth and value.It is also an excellent and thought-provoking read for strategic planners.I rate it at five solid stars for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the plethora of ideas the book generated and the clarification of some issues and factors related to services patents that I was researching. ... Read more

Product Description
Formerly titles Software Copyright Law, this new fifth edition has been significantly reworked to take account of the relevant legislative changes, offering practical guidance and workable policies and solutions to all issues relating to the development and exploitation of computer software. The new revised content includes information on software patents, issues of confidentiality, and restarint of trade in relation to former employee, freelance programmes and developers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

This book hits the IT spot nicely!

Professor Bainbridge brings his unusual, but welcome, experience to this mix of law and technology with a superb fifth edition of software law. There is a splendid glossary (which could do with a bit of expansion) and 12 chapters covering all the intellectual property law suspects (patents, confidentiality, competition etc) and some great stuff on Europe which would give UKIP a headache (deservedly) in the form of five appendices: three directives; a proposal; and some highly relevant web links.

Bainbridge starts his book with his view that "at one time, the protection of computer software against unauthorised copying, distribution or use was not a significant one". He recognises that national and international IP laws have been ill-equipped to provide protection. This work clearly plugs a gap in the newly emerging area of 21st century software law. He states his central aim as examining critically the various forms of protection that can now be applied to computer software.

His aim is achieved, and I hope many non-lawyers will read this work (it has few cases, readers will be relieved to find out!) as the bootleg DVD/CD menace continues and creative people can obtain better protection. It hits the IT spot nicely.
... Read more

Product Description
75 legal forms containing up to 48 unique clauses per form that you won't find anywhere else. ... Read more

Product Description
Protect your rights, and your hard work!

The laws covering website and software development are complex and confusing, but if you don't untangle them, it could cost you thousands of dollars in attorneys' fees and lawsuits.

Fortunately, Web & Software Development decodes this complex area of the law, thoroughly and in reader-friendly English.The book also provides contracts, agreements and legal forms on CD-ROM, with step-by-step instructions for filling them out, so you can protect your software and website without paying a lawyer's ransom.

Use Web & Software Development to learn:

*what kind of intellectual-property protection you need

*the strengths and limitations of each type of protection

*how to avoid infringement

*which provisions you need when drafting an agreement

*how to obtain permission to use other people's materials

You'll find complete, step-by-step instructions to draft:

*employment agreements

*contractor & consultant agreements

*web & software development agreements

*license agreements

The 3rd edition is completely updated to include website development, as well as the latest in intellectual property law. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Well worth the money for the do-it-your-self-er, small business!
After careful research, I choose this Nolo book when it came time to license my company's software. I guess it's silly after spending so much moola to develop software, to not go to an attorney, but I like to think I can figure out all this stuff on my own.I looked at a lot of user agreements online, I figured I could just put together something the big guns paid a lot of money for. If their agreements worked for them, they should work for me. But, I didn't want to plagarize them, and, well, you never know what you don't know and you can't be too careful in business these days. What you don't know is what will bring you down. I have used many NOLO books as guides and trust them. They are always easy to skim and read. I also bought Quicken's Legal Business Pro 2007 software. The sum of the 2 is way less than attorney fees, and now I understand it myself as well. I am so happy I bought this book with a CD because it made me realize how important it is to also protect our work with copyrights, trademarks, agreements, etc. Most importantly, I found out who owns the software we paid to develop, and it's not us, surprisingly! So I have to get that signed off before I can license it to someone else. It's not in depth but I don't think it's meant to be, it's a GUIDE, people. Now I will buy NOLO's books to guide me through the process for legal protection. The employment & consulting agreement chapters were not useful to me, but they may be to someone else. There are other books devoted to that and NOLO has them too. (check out their website and e-mail newsletters.)I feel I got more information than I expected and know what to do to take the next steps. Very important info for CA users, the laws are not the same as other states,(what's different?) and this book points the differences out. The format is such that one is able to cut and paste together the different parts and verbiage you need which will apply to your needs. Buy the book and get your bright yellow highlighter out!

Fastest, cheapest, 200-level education out there!
Nolo delivers again with its guide to web and software development. The book is easy to read, has sufficient tips and examples, and is a great primer.

It does not get into incredible detail on any one subject, but that's not its purpose either. It gives you sufficient resources (including the necessary forms) to get a software company or product started. When the product / company start growing fast, it's worth doing a review with an attorney, but not until then.

I recommend buying this if you are: a software developer looking to go freelance; starting a software company; or doing any consultant work in web or software development.

Excellent Legal Contracts
I found this book most useful for the CD-ROM's legal contracts.As a consultant, I use these for all my clients.

I have found my clients legal contracts to be biased entirely in their favor rather than this CD's contracts which tend to be fair and balanced, protecting both parties.

Good content, bad editing
There is a lot of good information and discussion in this book about the topics which a contract should cover.It falls down, however, when it comes to the actual contracts.Just comparing the website and the custom software contracts, there are differences where there shouldn't be.In the software contract, it's theCustomer, in the website contract, it's the Client.A bit more than half of the contract sections with (mostly) identical headings and purpose have unexplained differences between them.Many of these differences are not trivial.In the text, the contracts are interleaved with explanations, but often the commentary/annotations are just restatements of the contract itself, which is a real time-waster, especially if you've read the background material earlier in the book.Other occasional editing snafus include explanatory comments inside the contract text, formatting syntax commands on the page (END SECTION), and a less than clear and concise structure for indicating optional clauses (the intended combinations aren't always clear, even though customization is to be expected).Given the fuzzy line between a website and a web application (ie 'custom software' (and really, what website is NOT custom?)), and given the marked similarities in over half of the two contracts, why not cover the overlapping sections just once, instead of twice, but inconsistently?And the sections that don't overlap, or overlap badly?No real explanation as to the reasons for the differences.I hope I don't have the same problems with the two versions of the independent contractor agreement.Fishman has written a pile of legal books for the layman, including the more recent "Consultant And Independent Contractor Agreements 5th Edition".I have to wonder: "Quantity over quality?"Perhaps when he is working on the next edition of this book ("Legal Guide to Web & Software Development", due out 8/2007), he will take the time to re-organize some of the content and get a capable editor.A determined reader can sort out the differences on their own, but it need not be so difficult.The content is 5 stars (including 24 documents in RTF format), but making it work for you is a real pain if you care about details.

This Book Delivers
A straightforward and well organized book.

I needed a brief on copyright ownership, a draft software licensing agreement and a software maintenance agreement.I got all 3 with this publication.

It is nice to find a book so fit for purpose. ... Read more

Product Description

Through an in-depth analysis of the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) case—which led to a December 2005 decision, currently under appeal at the Seoul High Court, condemning three fundamental tying practices embedded in Microsoft’s global business strategy—the author clearly establishes the precise nature of Microsoft’s anticompetitive practices, complete with clear technical descriptions of the underlying applications and digital media systems. The discussion develops valuable guidelines on such core issues as the following:

• network effect, tipping effect, and lock-in effect

• separability of Microsoft’s tied and tying products

• forced purchase by consumers of multiple tied products

• Microsoft’s reinforcement of market entry barriers

• Microsoft’s “normal business practice” defense

• cumulative damage to consumers’ interests

The book’s ultimate legal and economic assessment clarifies ways in which government competition authorities can select from globally available options on a case-by-case basis, enforce re-pricing measures, avoid belated remedies, and continuously monitor new types of anticompetitive conduct.

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Soft-Letter, published by Soft-letter on February 21, 1995. The length of the article is 710 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Software hijacking on the info highway. (Internet software piracy)
Author: Sandra Sellers
Publication: Soft-Letter (Newsletter)
Date: February 21, 1995
Publisher: Soft-letter
Volume: v11Issue: n17Page: p1(2)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Software Industry Report, published by Millin Publishing, Inc. on October 19, 1998. The length of the article is 470 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: MICROSOFT OS BREAKS COMPETING INTERNET VIDEO PRODUCT, SOFTWARE'S MAKERCLAIMS.(Digital Bitcasting)(Company Business and Marketing)
Publication: Software Industry Report (Newsletter)
Date: October 19, 1998
Publisher: Millin Publishing, Inc.
Page: 2(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Information Outlook, published by Special Libraries Association on December 1, 2009. The length of the article is 3269 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Creating a collaborative, Web-based legal information archive: with online materials disappearing and changing almost daily, three libraries banded together to form a shared archive to preserve and provide access to digital legal and public policy information.(PRESERVING INFORMATION)
Author: Sarah J. Rhodes
Publication: Information Outlook (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 1, 2009
Publisher: Special Libraries Association
Volume: 13Issue: 8Page: 32(6)

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from The Australian Library Journal, published by Australian Library and Information Association on August 1, 2010. The length of the article is 4247 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Web archiving: ethical and legal issues affecting programmes in Australia and the Netherlands.(Report)
Author: Lachlan Glanville
Publication: The Australian Library Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: August 1, 2010
Publisher: Australian Library and Information Association
Volume: 59Issue: 3Page: 128(7)

Article Type: Report

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more

Product Description

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the International Conference on Privacy in Statistical Databases, PSD 2006, held in December 2006 in Rome, Italy. The 31 revised full papers are organized in topical sections on methods for tabular protection, utility and risk in tabular protection, methods for microdata protection, utility and risk in microdata protection, protocols for private computation, case studies, and software.

Product Description
This book analyzes U.S. federal cases on the copyright protection of computer software programs, to examine the role of communication in legal decision making process. It is the first to apply Anthony Giddens' theory of structuration to analyze law in a systematic and empirical way. Previous studies considered law to be independent, objective and neutral, and even those that considered social structures and actors focused on economic and political factors. Employing the framework of the author, the work, and the use, this study attempts to show how relationships and struggles of the parties are actually manifested through communication, and how the strategic communication of the parties influences the structural environment of copyright law.

There has been a long-running debate over whether and how the copyright law, evolved from the era of the print technology, should be applied to computer programs, a new work of authorship. Contrary to some cautionary arguments that modern copyright law tends to protect copyright holders while disregarding authors' rights, the struggle between developers and non-developers, rather than between copyright holders and non-copyright holders, was clearly manifested in legal arguments. The construct of authorship has been modified, yet remained central in copyright discourse. On the other hand, the concept of the use, despite the significance of users in copyright regime, has yet to be developed to play an important role in the legal arguments. Moreover, the factor of whether the party was a developing entity, was found to be a single most important factor influencing the courts' decisions. But only when the party could successfully present itself as the one involved with developing activities, the court was more likely to accept its argument than the other party's. Therefore, it was the legitimacy gained by communicating the nature of the party, rather than the nature of the party itself, that made the difference in the ways the courts made decisions. This book presents how, in this process of strategic communication, the structure of copyright law was reproduced and transformed. ... Read more