Expert: Rene Hasekamp - 6/5/2011

Question
Hi,

I hope this questions comes within your area of expertise.

I would like to write a technical guide to a digital music mixing program.

The program is used to control midi devices and other types of music hardware, and control digital music (MP3s etc) to mix digital music (like a DJ does).

It would just be a technical guide book.  No software or other stuff would come bundled with it.

Would I need to formally seek persmission to write the book from the software company?

What other legal issues could there be?

Thanks for any assistance.
Dean.

Answer
Hello,

Indeed this is not my field of expertise, but nevertheless I hardly can believe I that I am wrong with the following answer:

In my opinion it is completely free to write a guide for a software program owned by others. Think of the many books and articles that have been written about Microsoft Office or the various versions of Microsoft Windows, and about many other much used programs.
In fact the owner of the software can only benefit if other persons write a guide for it, in my opinion.

The only restriction I see is that the book should be a (neutral) guide and not some critical document that discourages people to use or buy the software, but that is obviously not your plan.

So in my belief you do not need permission of the software company. If you are still in doubt, you could of course write the company that you plan to write the guidebook. But I do not believe that it is necessary.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Rene Hasekamp.