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p a t e n t s & c o p y r i g h t Most of us don't know anything about patents and copyright when it comes to our own artistic endeavours, and it is a complex area of the law. As I find more information and links, I'll put them on this page for you to follow up on and learn about. |
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An excellent site in the U.S. is www.copyright.gov.
Have a look at the visual arts category. If you want to have a copyright on your scarf designs, for example, you don't need to send the scarf just photos of each scarf. You can also photograph all of your body of work, divide it into categories such as scarves, clothing, etc and register the whole lot as a "body of work" or something similar. This is all clearly detailed on the website, and you might have to dig a bit so put aside plenty of time for your research. For one $US30 fee you can copyright all of your present work, which is a very reasonable price. Please ensure the photos are clear and show details where necessary as this will help if infringement occurs. The person who misappropriates/copies your designs will then be liable for more damages because you have legally registered the work with the copyright office. This is just the tip of the iceberg, check out the patents and copyright offices in your own country/state - if you'd like to share this information or find something out which would benefit other silk artists, please email us and let us know. Other options you can try: 1. If you are near a major USA city, there are groups called Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. Call your local Bar Association and ask where you can find these. 2. Go to your local library or go online to www.amazon.com and look for NOLO PRESS books. They publish excellent how to handle yourself and the law books around. Do your homework - be a proactive business person regarding your art and read up on how to protect your artwork. NOLO books have forms to fill out and brief paragraphs explaining the forms' questions, which are extremely useful and helpful. NOLO books point out the concepts behind the sentences in basic legal forms. These books come highly recommended from an artist associate of mine, who says, " There is no one size fits all legal strategy or form, but you can't get close to what you need until you learn about your options. Sorry to those whose venues are outside the US, I don't know if there is a comparable form of legal do it yourself books to NOLO where you are. I know London has something similar, but I have no knowledge of the publishers in other countries." Good luck everyone. |
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