California’s new “gig economy” law AB5 has unintended consequences for publishers, authors, and freelance editors and graphic designers: are they employees or independent contractors? How do you know? What should you be doing now? IP attorney Jonathan Kirsch summarizes the issues.
Wikipedia on California Assembly Bill 5
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California\_Assembly\_Bill\_5\_(2019)
Text of California Assembly Bill 5 (see tabs for history, amendments, voting, analysis)
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill\_id=201920200AB5
Publishers Weekly news article on AB5
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/81992-publishers-brace-for-california-labor-law-changes.html
December 17 news article on California freelancers filing suit against AB5
https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2019/12/17/ab5-california-freelance-journalists-lawsuit/
Jonathan Kirsch is a publishing and intellectual property attorney based in Los Angeles, an expert witness in publishing industry disputes, an Adjunct Professor on the Faculty of New York University’s Professional Publishing Institute, and a lecturer and consultant on publishing matters. He has long served as general counsel to IBPA, which presented him with its Benjamin Franklin Award for special achievement in publishing. He is the author of 13 books, including Kirsch’s Handbook of Publishing Law and Kirsch’s Guide to the Book Contract.
Peter Goodman (host) is publisher of Stone Bridge Press in Berkeley, California. He began his publishing career in Tokyo, Japan, in 1976. A longtime member of IBPA, he has served on the IBPA board and as IBPA board chair.