Week 3: Legal and IP Frameworks | Comparing Different Case Studies, Media Use, and Equity Ownership

This week focuses on the formal and legal aspects of running a business as a designer, which can be quite daunting. Susanna's introduction provides insight into legal frameworks and intellectual property regulations which impact designers. Each country has its own set of laws governing image usage, ownership, and photography rights.

By exploring these topics, I hope to gain a clearer understanding of the broad framework surrounding intellectual property issues. This knowledge will prove invaluable as I navigate the challenges of global design projects and delve into areas such as image rights, typefaces, and copyright. Additionally, I will delve into the intricate aspects of idea ownership, brand names, and design studios, allowing me to develop a comprehensive understanding of intellectual property in design and its professional implications.

Research Task:

Research common copyright issues, as well as some of the ethical and legal factors most frequently affecting graphic designers today.

•Copyright

One of the most common copyright issues is unintentional infringement, where designers unknowingly use copyrighted material without proper permission or licensing. An example of this would be from the Seattle design firm Modern Dog. Modern Dog designed a series of sketches of dogs in 2008. The firm alleges that illustrations from that design have been used in a T-shirt produced by Disney for sale because of this a lawsuit was filed in 2011.(99Designs,2013)

• Fair Use

Understanding the boundaries of fair use as a designer is very important and can help make informed decisions, Fair Use allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission. In certain circumstances, such as for educational or transformative purposes. An example of Fair Use would have to include a purpose to learn for example News reporting or an academic essay.

• Licensing and Usage rights

Different licensing models, such as Creative Commons licenses are important for designers as they can help with collaboration. Creative Commons enables the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted piece of work.

By delving into these areas and staying informed about common copyright issues and ethical/legal factors, graphic designers can ensure they create and share their work responsibly while respecting the rights of others and upholding professional and ethical standards.