Multimedia presentations offer educators and other communicators new avenues to reach audiences, but they combine a variety of legal hazards. Producers of multimedia can end up on the receiving end of lawsuits based on the many facets of copyright, privacy, and defamation law, as this guide illustrates. Copyright gives authors, composers, photographers, and others the right to protect creative efforts, and it serves to benefit the general public by encouraging creation of new works. Understanding public performance licensing and the copyrighting of music is essential for the multimedia producer. Other concerns relate to written works, works of art, and photographs. Copyright protection can extend to video footage of newsworthy events. Fair use is the doctrine that some unauthorized copying is permissible through a balancing of public interest, the rights of the copyright owner, and the nature of the use. The law of privacy presents another avenue for people to prevent the multimedia producer from using their likenesses or other attributes of their personalities. Yet another concern for the multimedia producer and user lies in the area of libel. Legal risks abound for the careless multimedia producer, but a few simple precautions will help avoid most liabilities. The creative urge is limited by the imagination of the multimedia producer and the rights of others. (SLD)