Program Details
Friday, 10:00am to 5:00pm
Introduction & Welcome
A. Your Arts Business
Your artistic and creative activities may be exposing you to liability. Threshold issues include deciding if, and when, to set up a formal legal entity for your activities; deciding between the for-profit and not-for-profit corporate models; fiscal sponsorship and financing your business; insurance; and working with employees and independent contractors. Audience Q&A.
B. Intellectual Property
In a digital age, artists need to be more aware than ever of copyright laws and the legal issues that may affect their practice and the presentation of their work. The current Associated Press v. Shepard Fairey and the Patrick Cariou v. Richard Prince lawsuits clearly illustrate this. This section will focus on copyright and trademark law, with a primer on some of the more pressing legal concerns for artists today, such as the use of logos and images, the internet, blogging and websites, as well as moral rights. The current issues raised by The Associated Press and internet aggregators, as well as the Shepard Fairey and Richard Prince lawsuits, will also be discussed. Audience Q&A.
Lunch Break
A conversation over lunch with Peter Rienecker, Esq., Vice President and Senior Counsel in Charge of Original Programming of Home Box Office, to consider issues in television and film with a focus on fact-based documentary and reality programming.
C. Contract Essentials and Negotiation Skills
Contracts define and organize your relationships with others whether or not you realize it, as contracts may be oral or written. This segment will explain the standard for legally enforceable contracts, and will cover the additional terms that are recommended to be a part of your contracts (compensation, credit, control, performance standards and timing, default, termination). In addition, practical and strategic considerations of contract negotiations and drafting, and the rules by which courts construe and interpret contract provisions will be covered. Audience Q&A.
D. The Web and Social Networking Sites
A conversation about the legal and practical issues using these tools to enhance your artistic practice.