014: What You Need To Know About Intellectual Property & Contracts As A Motion Designer w/ Silvia Baumgart

Disclaimer: This podcast is for general guidance only and discusses the legal position in the UK at the time of publication unless stated otherwise. You must take legal advice and not rely on the information provided in this podcast before taking action. We do not update our podcasts and therefore, past podcasts may not reflect the current legal position. Are you a whiz at all things legal when it comes to your businesses? Are you a maverick when it comes to intellectual property and copyrights? Most of us as animators, illustrators and creatives aren’t, and that’s why we brought on our guest today, who breaks down the sometimes (ok, always) overwhelming world of law into small, easy to understand definitions and steps, specifically as they apply to the world of animation and illustration.

Silvia Baumgart is a trainee solicitor with James Ware Stephenson, and has a background as an art historian, general manager for the Association of Illustrators (and is now a board member), and was the manager of the Own-It programme at the University of Arts in London. Needless to say, she knows the ins and outs of property law plus understands the minds and businesses of creatives.

We dove right into the definitions of intellectual property, patents, copyrights, design rights, and trademarks, what to make sure you have in your contracts to best suit your wants and needs, and broke down the details on the sometimes vague area of accepting contracts versus counter offers and what actually sticks at the end of the day according to UK law. Silvia also spoke on the three different types of licenses that exist that dictates who can use the work you created and in what form which was very insightful and an absolute must listen for anyone in the creative fields.

In this episode:

• The differences between patents, copyrights, design rights, and trademarks
• How do differentiate between working in house with an agency or working from home in terms of who owns the copyrights of the resulting work
• What to include in your contracts to avoid any issues with your client in the future
• Details on the when and how of agreeing to terms within a contract or offering a counter offer
• The biggest legal mistake creatives make when starting new projects
• The three different types of licenses that dictate who can use the work you created
• Original project files - should they be given or kept and how you can monetize them
• Why everyone should have their own terms and conditions that are standard for them

Links:

Looking for help with your contract and terms & conditions? Check out the Motion Hatch Freelance Contract Bundle!

Association of Illustrators

The Intellectual Property Office: Exceptions to copyright - guidance for creators and copyright owners

Find the full show notes here 

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