Ask Us Anything: “Copyright Law”
September 22 2026 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CDT
Free
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How do you navigate copyright law as a writer?
In taking inspiration from the world around us, writers are often confronted with some variation of this conundrum: at what point does being inspired by a piece of work cross into plagiarizing it? While this is a fascinating moral and philosophical thought-experiment, in our world, laws delineate this boundary. As writers, it’s therefore incredibly important to understand copyright law so we can better navigate both seeking inspiration and protecting our own work. Join us to ask Dwayne Goetzel and Jennifer Chen Tran any and all questions you may have about this legal labyrinth.
What questions do you have about copyright law? You can share them with us ahead of the event via this form. The deadline to submit your questions is Monday, September 21 at 12:00 PM CT.
CONTINUING YOUR WRITING JOURNEY
Featured Presenter(s)
Dwayne Goetzel is an intellectual property lawyer and frequent lecturer who is located in Austin, Texas. His practice includes copyrights, trademarks, domain names, contracts, licensing, personality rights, and federal court trial work all over the country. The cases Mr. Goetzel has been involved in have been extremely diverse, and include things such as automotive products, computer and electronic devices, books, music, exercise equipment, fishing tackle, medical devices, and telecommunications equipment, to name just a few. Mr. Goetzel was one of the attorneys honored in 2004 by “Kroll on Track” for his involvement in the “Thought Leading Computer Forensic Case of the Year,” and more recently, he is one of the lead attorneys in the high-profile Crave series copyright case, for which his client obtained summary judgment from the U.S. District Court in New York. Mr. Goetzel graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in history from Angelo State University in 1986. As an undergraduate, he received the Presidential Award, the Modern Languages Award, and was a member of several academic honor societies. Mr. Goetzel also received a Rotary International Graduate Fellowship and attended German law studies at Philipps-Universität in Marburg, Germany, from 1986 to 1987. After legal studies in Germany, Mr. Goetzel attended the University of Texas School of Law and received his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree in 1990. While in law school, Mr. Goetzel was a National Finalist in the Jessup International Moot Court competition, a member of the Texas International Law Journal, a Finalist in the Susman, Godfrey Moot Court competition, and was inducted into the Order of Barristers in 1990. He also received the Dean’s Achievement Award in European Community Law. Mr. Goetzel is admitted to practice before the State Bar of Texas, and the U.S. District Courts for the Western District of Texas, the Northern District of Texas, the Eastern District of Texas, and the Southern District of Texas. He is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California and the State Bar of California (inactive status as to California). Mr. Goetzel is an active member of the International Trademark Association and the European Trademark Association. Languages: German.
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Jennifer Chen Tran is a literary agent at Glass Literary Management. With over a decade of experience in publishing, Jennifer is passionate about nurturing and championing authors and their creative lives. She represents a wide range of talent, including journalists, physicians, entrepreneurs, thought-leaders, chefs, and graphic novelists, among others.
Prior to joining Glass Literary Management, Jennifer was a literary agent at several top literary agencies and served as Of Counsel at The New Press. She obtained her Juris Doctor from Northeastern School of Law in Boston, MA, and a Bachelors of Arts in English Literature from Washington University in St. Louis. She is an attorney in good standing in New York and California.
Jennifer is an editorial agent who believes in the art of collaboration and works closely with her authors from concept to publication, and beyond. As a person of color and daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, Jennifer is committed to amplifying voices from BIPOC, LGBTQ, underrepresented and marginalized communities. Her ultimate goal is to work in concert with authors to shape books that will have a lasting positive social impact on the world – books that illuminate, entertain, and inspire.
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