This class is an informative and engaging presentation tailored specifically for writers and independent publishers who want straightforward, clear, and concise answers to the most common and pressing legal issues in the publishing industry.

After attending this class, you will understand the basics on copyright and trademark laws as they apply to writers and the “why, when, and how” of copyright registration, including why the “Poor Man’s Copyright is a MYTH! We will also touch on the important contracts every writer should know about, and what you need to do during the writing phase to protect your work and to significantly reduce the possibility of exposing yourself to lawsuits that could result when you write about real people and events or incorporate other creative works in your own work.

About the Instructor

Tonya M. Evans-Walls, is Assistant Professor of Law at Widener University School of Law (Harrisburg campus) and an attorney specializing in the areas of entertainment law (literary, music and film), intellectual property (copyright and trademark), estate planning, and municipal finance.

She is the Chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Sports, Entertainment and Art Law Committee, and has served as an adjunct professor of copyright, publishing and licensing at York College of Pennsylvania.

She is a nationally recognized speaker who presents to various audiences regularly on publishing and intellectual property law and estate planning issues.

Professor Evans-Walls, known affectionately as "Lawyer by Day, Poet by Night" is also a performance poet and writer, and the author of numerous award-winning books, including Contracts Companion for Writers; Copyright Companion for Writers; Literary Law Guide for Authors: Copyright, Trademark, and Contracts in Plain Language; Seasons of Her; and SHINE! Her short story, Not Tonight appears in an anthology titled Proverbs for the People, published by Kensington.