Can you read Legalese?
Win a free copy of Plain Language Legal Writing, or any of the Plain Language Wizardry books by Cheryl Stephens.
Think you can read the law as well as anyone? Here's a chance to prove it. Translate the selected section of the US Copyright Act, and you could win your choice of Plain Language Legal Writing, or any of the Plain Language Wizardry books by Cheryl Stephens.
There will be two prizes: One for redrafting the section in plain English, and another for writing a description of the law for the general public. In addition, the winners will be made famous on Cheryl's blog, Building Rapport!
Details, details.
For redrafting the section of law in plain English, we have two distinguished judges:
- Jennifer T. Minkowitz, Esq., Maine, USA
- Cheryl Stephens, British Columbia, Canada.
For the competition to write a description of the law for the general public, we have:
- Shirley Robbins, of the Plain Language Centre, South Africa
- Linda Jenkins, of Red Pen Services, Ottawa, Canada
- Cheryl Stephens, British Columbia, Canada.
Enter by emailing Cheryl Stephens with your entry (see below). The contest will be open until July 28, and winners will be announced (made famous!) August 4.
Here's the law in question.
§ 107. Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use
Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include—
- the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
- the nature of the copyrighted work;
- the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
- the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.
The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.
Enter the contest!
Think you can redraft this law in plain English? Can you describe it for the general public? Send your entry by July 28, 2008 to email@cherylstephens.com. The winner in each category will receive a free copy of Plain Language Legal Writing (or your pick of the Plain Language Wizardry series), and a write up on Cheryl's blog, Building Rapport.