ABSTRACT
Overview Contracts are used in virtually every arena of mass communications practice. Consider the release and waiver defenses in defamation and copyright infringement, for example. A release is a contract. Well drafted, that contract or release can save you from a successful lawsuit. Poorly drafted, the release may not provide any defense at all. Principles of contract law also cover the purchase of all the goods and services used in our profession, including our own professional services. When bartering our skills and effort for payment from our employers or clients, we all are using principles of contract law. In short, virtually everything we do in mass communications is covered by some component of contract law.
