This is a very high quality self-help book, of the same caliber as one of Nolo’s previous publications [1]. Although the author is generally careful in his word usage of potentially ambiguous terminology, there is one, somewhat irritating, usage which repeatedly occurs. This is the misuse of the term “copyright,” itself, as in the title and throughout some of the early chapters. Even though that term is stated as referring to a right which exists automatically from the moment the work is “fixed in any form,” the term is still used in the text to mean the copyright registration process or a registered copyright.

The book is rather comprehensive on the topic of legal protection for computer software, including short but informative summaries of: what computers are all about; what the copyright law is all about; notice; the registration process and its requirements; infringement and what can be done about it; international copyright protection; and forms of protection other than, or supplementary to, copyright protection. One thing this book does not cover is a problem representing a major shortcoming in copyright protection for computer software. Even assuming that all requirements for copyright protection exist, such as copyrightable subject matter, reduction to a tangible form, notice, deposit, and registration, there still remains the frequently insurmountable difficulty of detecting piracy of the copyrighted work.