FAQs

Are the casebooks at Semaphore Press free?
No. The suggested price of a complete Semaphore Press casebook is $30. We base that price on the idea that it's fair to ask a student to pay about $1 per class session for the casebook materials used in that class session.

How should I contact Semaphore Press if I have a question about the payment I made?
Please e-mail us at customerservice@semaphorepress.com. And remember that, even if we are having a problem processing your payment, you can download the casebook materials.

What rights do I get when I download a Semaphore Press casebook?
Our authors retain the copyrights in the casebooks we publish. You can download a casebook copy from the website for your personal use. If you lose it, or your computer crashes or is stolen, don't worry; we'll still be here. Come back to download a replacement copy, and don't worry about having to pay again. We are not granting you permission to reproduce the books available on our website except to the extent needed for your personal copy. We are not granting you permission to distribute copies either.

What format is the Semaphore Press casebook in? Can I read it on my e-book reader?
Every Semaphore Press book file is simply a standard pdf file. You can read the pdf with any pdf reader. Some e-book readers are pdf-friendly, some are less so. For example, if you own an iPhone or iPad, you can read the pdf using Apple's iBook software. (At present, you put a pdf into iBook by e-mailing it to yourself.) The iPad and iPhone can also run other pdf-reader and file-management apps.

How can I get a hardbound copy of a Semaphore Press casebook?
If you want a printed hard copy of a book, you have several options.  First, after downloading a digital copy from Semaphore Press, you can print a personal copy for yourself on your printer -- there are no printing restrictions or other digital rights management that will prevent you from doing that.  Second, you can take your digital copy to a copyshop like FedEx/Kinko's that offers multiple binding methods (see, e.g., FedEx/Kinko's binding options). You have our permission to print and bind a personal copy of your downloaded book.  You'll want to bring a copy of this explanatory letter we've created and provide it to the copyshop to address the copyshop's potential copyright concerns.

For four of our titles, you have an additional option:  a printed and bound copy from Amazon. These titles are available at a price that includes Amazon's cost of printing, Amazon's "cut" of any amount charged above the printing cost, and the base price ($30) that Semaphore Press suggests be paid for the digital copy of the book.  Because the Amazon price has the $30 suggested price built in, after you purchase a printed copy of either of these books, you should absolutely feel free to download a digital copy of the book from Semaphore Press using the "freeride" button at the bottom of the book's payment page.  Click below to be taken to the Amazon page for these titles:

Before you print a copy or order a bound version, please consider the environmental advantages of using the electronic version.

Can I return my Semaphore Press casebook for a refund?
We are happy to provide a refund if you drop the class for which you purchased the book. Please complete this Refund Form, have your professor or registrar's office sign it, and mail it to us (either as a scanned attachment to an e-mail at customerservice@semaphorepress.com, or by snail mail to Semaphore Press, Inc., 17850 S. Eaden Rd., Oregon City, OR, 97045). If you have not dropped the class, or you purchased the download other than for use in a law school class, we regret that we can't provide a refund.

Can I resell or give away my copy of a Semaphore Press casebook?
We ask that you not resell or give away your pdf copy. Instead, please direct people who are interested in obtaining a copy to the Semaphore Press website, where they can download their own copies. The resale market in the traditional casebook publishing world is part of what drives casebook prices up to $220 or more; when a publisher prices a book at $190, it is factoring in the competition and lost opportunities that the resold books embody for them. Things are different at Semaphore Press. Because anyone can get his or her own copy of a Semaphore Press book, we ask that you help us keep legal casebook materials available at reasonable prices by directing your fellow students to our website.

I'm a professor, and I'm adopting a Semaphore Press book for my class. How should I tell students about it?
Please see our Professors page for detailed suggestions about how to tell students about Semaphore Press books.

I'm a professor, and I would like to publish my book with Semaphore Press. How should I contact you?
Please e-mail us at proposals@semaphorepress.com.

Where should I send comments if I have feedback for Semaphore Press?
Please e-mail us at feedback@semaphorepress.com.