Entertainment Law in a Nutshell

by Sherri L Burr

This compact reference gives a big picture overview of the intellectual property, contract, publicity, estate planning, and First Amendment issues that contribute to the field of entertainment law. Professor Burr also addresses specific legal issues that arise in the film, music, and television industries, including discussion of the rise of “reality” television. This Nutshell is ideal as a secondary text to accompany any entertainment law casebook, as the primary text for a seminar, or as background information for someone requiring an overview.

Genres: Law

480 pages, Paperback

First published August 20, 2012

Reviews

[Barron · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some law books are not so much educational tools as combinations of filler and self-indulgent prattle by the authors about their own pet interests. This is one of those.

It does contain some case law and principles, but the book is predominantly a collection of one-paragraph blurbs about different movies and TV shows meant to illustrate in very general terms how the media works--most of it information that the reader would already know if he or she didn't grow up locked in a bunker like Kimmy Schmidt. Does a law student *really* need to be told that famous musicians, in modern times, can make a lot of money?

It is also festooned with citations like [author interview with Shirley MacLaine], which one suspects is the real purpose of the book along with raking a few bucks from law students. This is one of the worst law books I have ever read, and that's saying a lot.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful and straight forward description of entertainment law, one could even say entertainment law "in a nutshell"; however, it's a bit dense for a beginner. I think its best to use this book as a supplement rather than sole course of study.