This volume is a guide to intellectual property. Under intellectual property law, owners are granted certain exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets, such as musical, literary, and artistic works; discoveries and inventions; and words, phrases, symbols, and designs. This work includes an introduction to the basics of copyrights, patents, and trademarks and written especially to serve the needs and questions of librarians. The issue of what constitutes fair use, modern-day disputes over file swapping services such as Napster, common misconceptions about patent, among many other topics, is presented in easy-to-understand terms.

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"The new information landscape is raising more questions than ever about intellectual property. The advent of Google, YouTube, iPods and URLs has led to a plethora of court cases involving copyrights, trademarks, and patents." "Against this rapidly changing background, copyright expert Timothy Wherry takes a look at intellectual property issues and provides the perspective and tools library patrons and staff need." "Containing examples, trivia, and accounts of real-life court cases that bring alive the issues in intellectual property, this book protects you from overstepping the bounds of legal use in a fast-changing digital environment."--BOOK JACKET.

In a world of users that routinely click “I Agree” buttons, librarians may be the lone voice raising an alert to the privacy, use, and ownership issues arising in connection with the design and implementation of digital rights management (DRM) technologies. DRM reflects the efforts of copyright owners to prevent the illegal distribution of copyrighted material – an admirable goal on its face. A common misunderstanding is that DRM is copyright law. It is not. Rather it is a method of preventing copyright infringement; however, if unchecked, DRM has the potential to violate privacy, limit ownership rights, and undermine the delicate balance of rights and policies established by our current system of copyright. All three of these arenas are critical for both librarians and their users. Reflecting the shift from ownership to access, libraries are increasingly providing access to rights-protected digital content. Libraries strive to provide access to rights-protected content in a manner that protects both the content creator and the privacy of the user. DRM encompasses a variety of technologies and strategies utilized by content owners and managers to limit access to and the use of rights-protected content. Librarians need to understand DRM to effectively enable users to access and use rights-protected digital content while at the same time protecting the privacy of the user. Designed to address the practical operational and planning issues related to DRM, this guide explores the critical issues and challenges faced by librarians. After reading it, librarians will better understand: the digital content rights protection scheme; the various DRM technologies and how they are used; how to use authentication and authorization standards, strategies, and technologies; and, the privacy and security issues related to DRM. Edited by two librarians who also hold law degrees, this is a best practices guide for front-line librarians on how to best respond to the impact of DRM schemes on collection development, staffing, budget, service, and other library concerns.

It is absolutely essential that today’s law librarians are digitally literate in addition to possessing an understanding and awareness of recent advancements and trends in information technology as they pertain to the library field. Law Libraries in the Digital Age offers a one-stop, comprehensive guide to achieving both of those goals. This go-to resource covers the most cutting-edge developments that face today’s modern law libraries, including e-Books, mobile device management, Web scale discovery, cloud computing, social software, and much more. These critical issues and concepts are approached from the perspective of tech-savvy library leaders who each discuss how forward-thinking libraries are tackling such traditional library practices as reference, collection development, technical services, and administration in this new “digital age.” Each chapter explores the key concepts and issues that are currently being discussed at major law library conferences and events today and looks ahead to what’s on the horizon for law libraries in the future. Chapters have been written by the field’s top innovators from all areas of legal librarianship, including academic, government, and private law libraries, who have strived to provide inspiration and guidance to tomorrow’s law library leaders.

Including real-world scenarios and best practices, this text presents the important topics of patents, trademarks, and copyrights in relation to intellectual property creators and consumers. Comprehending intellectual property rights is critical in today's world in order to negotiate the challenges associated with all kinds of intellectual properties, from patents to trademarks to copyright. Created for courses but useful for a wide range of readers, Intellectual Property and Information Rights for Librarians teaches intellectual property literacy, allowing teachers and students to easily understand the range of intellectual property issues, including both creator and consumer rights. Author John Schlipp, an intellectual property librarian and professor, guides readers through intellectual property and information rights issues for today's professionals in information-based careers. Real-world issues are emphasized, including fair use, which is covered in reference to the First Amendment. Information rights topics examined include legal and ethical issues such as freedom of information, internet regulations, privacy, cybercrime, and security. This text serves as a comprehensive reference and a collection of best practices that addresses all types of intellectual properties in one book.