It is important to be informed about your rights as an artist, the rights you have over your work and the consequence of contracts and other legally binding documents you may be presented with in the course of your career. It is essential to keep records of any interactions, sales or agreements that you make about your work so if there is a problem at a later date you have original documents to confirm your rights and agreements.

Artists' working with the moving image often use appropriated material (film clips or recorded music for example) without permission. The likelihood of being prosecuted for a work of art is limited but it is important to be informed about the law and risks you may be taking. Consider the platforms that will be used to present the work and the scale of exposure, for example, you are running a higher risk with mainstream commercial outlets like TV broadcast, cinema release, DVD publication or commercial galleries than with non-commercial platforms like small exhibitions and festival screenings.

If you need legal consultation or one-to-one advice there are a few options. The first point of contact would be one of the range of organisations who offer free legal advice and support to artists. If you require more in-depth legal consultation or representation then find the correct organisation for your enquiry and contact them with an idea of what you are willing to spend (legal fees can be very expensive so it's important to state your maximum expenditure at the offset). Be sure to have all your documentation at hand to minimise the time required.

The Film London Directory gives details of a wide range of organisations relevant to legal issues, including national and international legal firms. See Legal > Consultation/ Representation

The following organisations are a good start for finding out more information or if you need general advice on legal issues.

Artquest

This resource for London artists has a large section dedicated to legal issues including everything from handling the sale of your work as tax to seeking legal representation. They also have the following two initiatives to help visual artists:

Artlaw Archive
In 2002, Henry Lydiate, a qualified barrister and Artquest began collaborating on the Artlaw archive. This comprises all of Henry's articles published in the 'Artlaw' column in Art Monthly since 1983. This historical collection covers many relevant issues facing visual artists and craftspeople (it is important to bear in mind the date when the articles were published when consulting the archive). New articles will be archived one month after they have been published in Art Monthly, ensuring the archive is kept up to date.

Creative Commons
Corporate Headquarters, Creative Commons, 543 Howard Street, 5th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105-3013, USA
Tel:+1 415 946 3070
A non-profit world wide organisation, Creative Commons offers a flexible range of protections and freedoms for authors and artists. They have built upon the "all rights reserved" of traditional copyright to create a voluntary "some rights reserved" copyright. This provides a more flexible copyright licence to protect your work by governing its usage to allow it to be made more widely available. For instance, Creative Commons can help you publish your video online and make explicit exactly what others can and can't do with your work.

Interchange Trust
Hampstead Town Hall, 213 Haverstock Hill, London NW3 4QP
Contact:Roger Bronkhurst
Free advice line:020 7692 5860
Email:legal@interchange.org.uk
Interchange Trust offer subsidised legal advice to arts organisations, charities and the people who promote them. They run lectures and seminars and can assist organisations with devising their constitutions and applying for charity status.

Intellectual Property - Copyright Directorate
Harmsworth House,13-15 Bouverie Street, London EC4Y 8DP
Tel:020 7596 6514
Email:copyright@patent.gov.uk
This official government intellectual property website holds good clear information, advice and FAQ's on protecting copyright, enforcing your copyright in the UK and abroad, using copyright material, licensing, design rights, trade marks, patents and more. The website also provides a searchable database and links to intellectual property organisations worldwide. Free government advice line on any copyright queries.

Own It
University of the Arts London, The London College of Communication, Elephant and Castle, London SE1 6SB
Tel:020 7514 7985
Email:info@own-it.org

Own It offers free intellectual property advice for London's creative people. Own It is a service provided by the Enterprise Centre based at London College of Communication. They provide free information and advice on their website on intellectual property, copyright, design rights, patents, trademarks, branding, confidentiality agreements, licensing, royalties and contracts. On their website they have free legal contract templates available for download. They also offer free legal advice and seminars. Their monthly newsletter contains information about upcoming events or seminars.

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