Outcome 1 - Legal

As a Graphic Designer Legal and statutory controls are a major issue. Factors such as Copyright and Licensing issues can play a big part on how you create your work and sell it onwards etc.

Copyright, one of the biggest factors, gives the creators of there work the rights to control the ways in which their material can be used. These rights start as soon as the material is recorded in writing or in any other way. There are no official registration systems though, so the whole issue of copyright can be quite a confusing and tricky subject. These rights cover factors such as:

· Copying

· Adapting or distorting

· Selling and distributing

· Communicating to the public by electronic transmission (including by broadcasting)

· Renting copies to the public

· Performing in public

In many cases, the creator will also have the right to be identified in there works and also have the power to object to the license if there work is distorted or edited in anyway.

Copyright basically protects literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works, published editions of works, sound recordings, films and broadcasts. Names, titles, slogans and phrases are also subject to copyright to create them as a trademark.

Material dose not need to even have a novelty, unique or aesthetic quality to be protected by copyright, it simply has to be the result of an independent intellectual effort. Technical descriptions, catalogues and engineering drawings are all examples of material that qualifies for copyright protection, whatever the subject.

Also Material on the internet is protected by copyright, under UK law copyright material sent over the internet or stored on web servers will generally be protected in the same was as any other material or media.

Licensing is also a major part in the legal and statutory rights within the creative industries. Very much like copyright, a License may be granted by a designer or artist (including musical) to whoever is requesting, so long as the designer or artist sees it fit. Once again just like copyrighting, the license could also cost for the client to use it, and depending on the agreement created by the two sides it may be that the client can use it as much as they won’t for the rest of their lives or they may only be able to use it as a one off.