$17 USD

In crafting this course, I started with the objective to teach copyrights to a fellow lawyer who might not have work experience in copyright law. What do I think would be everything a lawyer needs to know about copyright basics? That’s what I got down in reference text form first.

Then I went back in and made sure it was written in plain English so anyone would be able to read and understand the text. Finally, I applied the principles specifically to what a tarot reader should know.

Within the scope of my day job, I’m a lawyer who has represented individual artists on copyright claims against companies such as Warner Brothers and Estee Lauder, and prevailed in the artists’ favor. I’ve reviewed publishing contracts for writers entering into deals with the major mainstream publishing houses (and also the boutique metaphysical publishers). Finally, as an in-house attorney, I frequently encounter and have to resolve copyright issues, whether that’s licensing or sending out C&Ds, or its negotiating a work-for-hire or collaboration.

In addition to being an intellectual property attorney, I’m also a professional tarot reader, have written and published a tarot book, and worked on publishing tarot decks as well. I’ve also worked with many individuals in the tarot field on their copyright matters. So I think I’m in a unique position to be teaching tarot and copyright law.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

By the end of this course, I believe you will know more about U.S. copyright law, how the Berne Convention applies, and basic duration differences between the United States, Canada, the UK, and Australia than the average lawyer who isn’t experienced in copyright law. And so that means you’ll definitely know more than your average joe about copyrights.

If you’re a professional tarot reader, get this course to make sure you’ve been covering all your bases in terms of copyright, making sure you’re not infringing on people’s copyrights, how to spot copyright infringement, and copyright infringement defenses, including how to determine what is fair use and what’s in the public domain.

All of those terms are also important to the tarot author or deck creator, and not only do you get all that, but there’s also a workbook that teaches you about publishing contracts. You’ll be able to read and understand a publishing contract for a book or deck and also my tips on how to negotiate the terms of your contract.

GIVING ACCESS

Having now worked with too many artists and writers who think it’s fine to sell their legal rights without actually knowing what they’re giving away, seeing how so many in our creative fields know so little about copyright law or are fed misinformation, and hoping to offer an accessible online course that will empower you with otherwise specialized knowledge, I wanted to make the price point of this course accessible.

Continuing legal education courses that licensed attorneys take to apprise them of copyright law with equivalent content as this course range from $50 to well over $100. In fact, prior to putting this course together for tarot readers, I took one for my continuing legal education as a lawyer that was $175 (granted, that one got into lawyer-speak about drafting motions, pleadings, etc., which this course is not going to get into).

I’ve also seen copyright courses taught by non-lawyers that go for anywhere between $50 and $100 USD, and those courses do not include a publishing contract workbook or all the boilerplate contracts that this course will provide you with.

At just $17 for all that you’re going to be getting, not just in terms of the specialized legal knowledge provided here, but quantity and scope of content as well, I’m certainly not getting rich off this.

Had I ignored the tarot community’s needs and simply packaged the same content of this course as a Continuing Legal Education workshop to be sold to lawyers, I could sell this at the $150 price point and earn a lot more for my efforts. But it was important to me that this knowledge be made accessible to you.

If we were friends and lived near each other and you wanted to pick my lawyer brain with questions over dinner, $17 is about what you’d spend on feeding me anyway, right?

COURSE CONTENTS

The course content is bifurcated into two main parts. The first covers copyright law as it would be most applicable to tarot readers. That covers those who use social media, blogs, or online videos to share their tarot work and tarot professionals to tarot deck creators and book authors. Master U.S. copyright and also learn copyright basics, such as differences in duration of copyrights, in Canada, the UK, and Australia. Also learn the implications of the Berne Convention.

• What is a Copyright?
• Copyright Registration
• Duration of a Copyright
• The Idea vs. Expression Dichotomy
• Derivatives and Adaptations
• What is Copyright Infringement?
• Statute of Limitations
• First Sale Doctrine
• Works for Hire
• Joint Works
• Collective Works
• Defenses to Copyright Infringement
• The Public Domain
• Doctrine of Independent Creation
• Doctrine of Subconscious Copying
• The Defense of Fair Use
• The Use of Disclaimers
• Tarot Cards in Professional Readings
• Posting Photos of Tarot Cards
• Tarot Spreads and Copyright
• Web Scraping
• Tracing Images
• Cease and Desist Demand Letters
• The DMCA Take-Down Notice
• Unfair Competition
• Right of Publicity or Personality Rights
• Copyright vs. Trademark
• Copyright vs. Patent
• The Berne Convention
• Copyright Law in Canada
• Copyright Law in the UK
• Copyright Law in Australia
• Protecting Traditional Knowledge
• Dealing with Infringement Claims
• Dealing with Copycats

The second section of the course is a workbook that will cover how to read, understand, review, and also negotiate a publishing contract. I’ve had the incredible opportunity to work with deck creators and book authors who’ve worked with all of the major New Age and occult publishers. Merging what I’ve personally seen of these publishing contracts and the collective experiences not just of myself, but the many authors and artists I’ve represented in the past, here is a comprehensive workbook that will empower you with the knowledge and insights you need to understand a publishing contract. This applies to both tarot decks and tarot books.

• Grant of Rights
• First Publication Rights
• Scope of First Publication Rights
• Sole and Exclusive Right to Publish
• Worldwide English Rights
• Translation Rights
• Derivative Rights
• About the Copyright
• Copyright Registration
• Representation and Warranty
• Copyright Litigation Costs
• Delivery Terms
• Editorial and Copyedits
• Promotions and Distributions
• Negotiating Your Advance
• Should You Negotiate an Advance?
• Everything About Royalties
• Cross-Accounting and Cross-Collateralization Schemes
• Translation Rights
• Royalties on Foreign Sales
• Deep Discounts
• Subsidiary Rights
• Reserve Against Returns
• Payment Terms and Accounting
• Options Clause or First Right of Refusal
• Assessing the Risks of an Options Clause
• Sequels or Subsequent Volumes
• Two-Book Deals
• Permissions
• Termination Clause
• Going Out of Print
• Unreasonable Publication Delays
• Right of Reversion
• Revised Editions
• Representations and Warranties
• Non-Compete Clause
• Other Contract Clauses
• Moral Rights
• Basic Negotiation Tips

You’re also going to receive the boilerplate templates of several oft-used copyright-related contracts. In the event you find yourself in a situation where you need to license your copyrighted work to another, hire someone to produce work that will ultimately be copyrighted (and ensure that it is firmly work-for-hire), or you are collaborating on a literary or artistic project to produce a joint work, you’re going to be glad you have these boilerplate contracts to begin working off of.

DELIVERABLES

Written Reference Texts:

• Handbook: Tarot and Copyright Law
  • Printable US Letter standard size
  • A5 (5.83″ x 8.28″) e-book and paperback formatted book size
• Workbook: Reviewing and Negotiating Your Nonfiction Publishing Contract
  • Printable US Letter standard size
  • A5 (5.83″ x 8.28″) e-book and paperback formatted book size

There are three book covers pictured above because some of you may want to combine both texts and upload simultaneously to print as one single paperback. The third book cover is for those who want to combine everything into a single book rather than print out separate paperback books.

Access to Course Videos:

Educational content is provided in written form, through the handbook and workbook. The course videos are just my personal insights, impressions, and candid thoughts.

• The Tarot Professional and Copyright (Video Length: 17:53)
• The Author and Copyright (Video Length: 17:45)
• The Deck Creator and Copyright (Video Length: 19:54)

Boilerplate Contract Templates:

• Copyright Licensing Agreement
• Work-for-Hire (Independent Contractor) Agreement
• Joint Work Agreement
• Letter Template of a Cease & Desist Demand (Claim of Copyright Infringement)
• Letter Template of a Final Notice (Demand for Payment of Licensing Fees)
• Letter Template of a Defense Against Alleged Copyright Infringement (If you receive a cease and demand letter, this is how you would write an affirmative response)
• Non-Disclosure Agreement (to an Individual)
• Non-Disclosure Agreement (to a Company)

IT Tech Support is Not Included with Your Course

Please be advised that IT tech support is not included with the price of your course materials. If you can’t figure out how to print the PDF double-sided, or formatted to fit a non-standard paper size you want to use, or you’re having trouble uploading through Lulu.com or any other third-party print-on-demand book printing service to produce your printed copy of the textbooks, I am not the one to contact with questions. If your concern is with print-on-demand service, then please contact that service’s IT tech support team directly.

HOW TO ORDER

$17

I’m going to give step by step instructions on how to order the course and get access to download all the materials for yourself. You can pay via PayPal or Amazon Gift Card.

1. Send $17 USD via PayPal to the e-mail address abelldelivers@gmail.com. Yes, it’s going to say “James Zhang from Castro Valley.” That’s the Hubby. Also, this is the preferred method of payment. (~or~)
2. Send $17 with your credit card through PayPal by following this link: https://www.paypal.me/benebell. (~or~)
3. Send $17 by ordering me an Amazon Gift Card, sent to abelldelivers@gmail.com. Direct link to Amazon gift card orders here.
4. When you send payment, please include:
   1. The note “Copyright Course” so I know what your payment is for,
   2. Your name or a name identifier for me to reference you by, (~and~)
   3. Your e-mail address, so I know where to send your ordered course materials to.

COURSE DELIVERY DATE

All course contents will be delivered to you via the e-mail address you provide on or before March 31, 2018.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER

Although I am a licensed lawyer, I’m not your lawyer. No attorney-client relationship is formed from purchase of this online course (I hope that’s really obvious to everyone). Nothing in the course contents can or should be construed as legal advice. The materials provided are for general education purposes only. Do not rely on anything herein to make important decisions that could have a detrimental impact on your legal rights. When in doubt, always consult with a copyrights lawyer who can assess the specific facts of your case and therefore provide an informed legal opinion.