Discussion on Copyright

How to copyright work:

• You don't need to register the work - it's completely yours as soon as its made.
• No one can claim your work unless you have signed the copyright in a contract.
• If you're self-employed you usually own the intellectual property even if the work was commissioned by someone else.
• It can help if you put a little copyright symbol on the work or a phonographic symbol for video work.
• Make sure the file is dated as a record.
• Make it an essential part of your terms and conditions.

Never breach another person's copyright, it can cost a lot of money and damage your reputation.

Charge for pitches, and if your company is chosen return the money. This is to avoid the ideas being plagiarised/ having time wasted.

Everything you buy for the client you've got to make a profit on. It's possible to charge double for everything.

Can everything on the internet be used, as it is within the public domain?

- No, only when the copyright has expired or it has been assigned to the public domain.
- 70 years after the death of the artist.
- 75-90 year after the time of creation.

Reproduction rights - On anything sold with your work applied on an international production the ownership of the work could trace back to you. Meaning you might be accountable for anything that goes wrong with it (e.g. a child chokes.) Ensure you're not trapped by this, read through contract etc.

Licensing your work - Sometimes might be asked to license work. You can limit the license to a single use, so you can charge a fee for each use of the work (magazine, advert, logo, t-shirt...)

"If I paid you for it... I must own it?" Physical ownership is not the same as intellectually owning it. Unless it has been assigned in writing!! Don't give it away straight away unless you trust the client.

'It's a bit like having a family and someone else stealing your children.'