2006-2007 "Legal Issues for Artists" workshop agenda
Workshop start times will vary between 8:30 AM and 9:00 AM, depending on the community
Finding Legal Information Online
Acquaint participants with user-friendly, no-cost websites for locating
legal information
Intellectual Property Overview
Distinguish among the four branches of intellectual property (copyright,
trademark, patent and trade secrets); discuss appropriate uses for each
Copyright
Historical background; What copyright does and does not protect; How to
obtain a copyright; Notice and registration; Tips about the copyright
registration forms
Rights of the author; Rights of the public (including fair use; parody/satire;
educational performances/displays); Authorship/ownership (including work
made for hire and joint authorship)
12:00 PM: Lunch, on your own
1:00 PM
Contracts
Contract basics; Contract formation; statutes of frauds
(when contracts have to be in writing); Electronic contracting; Exculpatory
contracts (limiting liability); Using contracts to protect ideas; Miscellaneous
contracting tips
2:00 PM
Session will feature one of the following topics, depending on the community:
Contracts Exercise
Learn about “boilerplate” phrases commonly used in contracts;
Complete a contract “dissection” exercise designed to help
participants identify boilerplate phrases and understand their implications;
or
Trademark Basics
Protecting your own trademarks; Using the marks of others in your work;
Rights of privacy/publicity (using the images of other people in your
work)
3:00 PM
Session will feature two of the following topics, depending on the community:
Business Entity Choices
Compare and contrast corporations, partnerships and limited liability
companies; discuss cooperatives; or
The Artist-Gallery Relationship
Learn about Wisconsin statutes that govern the artist-gallery relationship;
discuss potential pitfalls of consignment; or
Internet Issues
Domain disputes; Website copyright registration; Third party liability
for copyright infringement (DMCA; file-sharing cases); Contract issues
with web developers and designers; or
Copyright for Visual Arts
Moral rights and the Visual Artists Rights Act; How to protect fine craft:
what’s copyrightable and what’s not; Design patents; or
Copyright for Performing Arts
Difference between musical works and sound recordings; Music licensing;
Sampling; Dramatic/theatrical licensing
Workshop end times will vary between 4:30 PM
and 5:00 PM, depending on the community.