From Writer Beware: This is an update of a post I wrote some years ago. Since I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately from writers wondering how to request contract termination and rights reversion, I thought it would be useful to take another look. There’s no “right” or “official” procedure for a rights reversion … Read more
PG has received several questions about a female author named Faleena Hopkins who has apparently obtained a U.S. trademark registration for the word, “Cocky” as used in connection with romance novels. Evidently, Ms. Hopkins has been threatening other authors with claims of trademark infringement for their use of the word, Cocky, in titles and as … Read more
Contract clauses beginning with the phrase, “For the avoidance of doubt” are a common feature of business contracts. For example, Company A is negotiating a three-year contract with Company B to purchase twenty different products from Company B. The contract includes ten pages outlining minimum purchases, pricing and quantity discounts, price adjustments for changes in … Read more
Passive Guy is a former country lawyer, city lawyer, entrepreneur, tech executive and writer. He has permanently retired from everything but writing. During the latter part of his professional life, PG was involved in high-stakes intellectual property litigation. He started The Passive Voice as an anonymous blog so his snarky remarks would not show up … Read more