Learn About Terminations Using This Website

The Law of Terminations

This website contains a number of materials aimed at educating and empowering parties potentially affected by termination rights.  It includes a very helpful overview, “Introduction to Terminations of Copyright Transfers,” that explains why terminations are so important to authors and their heirs, successors and grantees. 

For those less faint of heart the website contains a detailed summary of the law and practice of copyright terminations, “Copyright Terminations And What They Mean To Authors, Heirs And Successors,” that is condensed from Bill Gable's lecture materials.  It has been arranged as a series of FAQs with topics linked to their corresponding explanations in the lecture materials. 

Authors can use this website to learn how terminations work, to determine whether they own valuable termination rights, and to learn how to exercise those rights. “Authors” as used here includes songwriters, novelists, painters, photographers, composers, recording artists, poets, architects, choreographers, etc. (i.e., any creators of original musical, literary, artistic or other creative works).  (A deceased author's termination rights can be exercised by his or her heirs or statutory successors.  They may consider this website as if they were the "author.")

• Authors are encouraged to go to the Creative Commons website and to take advantage of its ingenious Terminations of Transfers Tool (“TTT”).  The TTT is a helpful, detailed questionnaire that assists an author in identifying the documents and information necessary to enable a copyright attorney to effect a termination on his or her behalf, which can result in substantial savings in legal fees.  Other helpful information is available at the Library of Congress website. 

Attorneys can use this website to educate themselves in the specialized and highly technical area of terminations, to enable them to better advise their clients and/or to be better able to determine when to seek the assistance of qualified copyright terminations counsel.

Publishers, distributors, record companies and other grantees, transferees or licensees can use this website to determine whether rights owned or controlled by them are subject to termination and to consider strategies for dealing with terminations.

Executors, administrators, personal representatives and trustees can use this website to educate themselves and to better understand how to prudently exercise their fiduciary duties to authors’ heirs and estates.

The materials contained on this website are intended for general informational purposes only, may not be taken as legal advice and are expressly conditioned on and subject to the Disclaimer. (Please read the Disclaimer to better understand why it is impossible to render legal advice over this website.) Obtaining Bill Gable’s legal services requires a signed engagement letter following appropriate interviews, clearance of conflicts and payment of a retainer based upon the scope of work contemplated.