John L. Geiger is a screenwriter and intellectual property attorney in Los Angeles with thirty-plus years of litigation and transactional experience representing a broad variety of entertainment professionals including screenwriters, producers, directors, and actors.

Howard Suber has taught generations of screenwriters, directors, producers, and film scholars during his more than fifty years at UCLA’s celebrated film school. He has also been a consultant and expert witness for Hollywood studios and networks on copyright and creative control matters.

CREATIVITY AND COPYRIGHT: Legal Essentials for Screenwriters and Creative Artists is a guidebook for creators that provides clear explanations of the essential principles of intellectual property, focusing more on what you can do rather than what you can’t do.  Among the many questions the book answers are:

• What can I take from others?
• What can others take from me?
• What is “fair use”?
• When do I need legal rights to use other’s materials?
• When do I need “life rights” and how to I get them?
• How can I protect myself when I pitch?
• How can I control my rights and credits?
• How can I safely collaborate with others?