Year 12, Unit 30, Task 6, P6

Creating graphics is a process of sketching designs and making new images for specific things. However there is laws that need to be followed. There is legal pitfalls in using and editing graphics which is all about copyright, trademark and intellectual property. It is easier to play by the rules and abide the law than to get sued therefore graphic designers follow the rules to prevent this!

Copyright is the exclusive and assignable legal right, given tot he originator for a fixed number of years, to print, publish, perform, film, or record literacy, artistic, or musical material

(https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=copyright%20definition). It is a law that provides and grants the creator of an original work (their own work) the rights of the use and distribution of it. There are people called rightholders who are a group of multiple authors to the original work that have a set of rights such as; reproduction, distribution, moral rights, and public performance, to use or license the work. You must gain permission from the owner to use their work or you could face prison for breaking the law. To gain permission to use a work protected by copyright, you must find out who the owner of the copyright materied of the work you intend to use. Once this has been found then  you must contact then and request the right ot use the work in the territory and format that you intend. However, in some cases you may have to pay the owner a fee. 

Intellectual property is a legal term that refers to the creators of the mind, such as innovations; music, literature and other artistic works. It is something that you physically create but not an idea alone. For example, an idea for a book is not an intellectual property however, the word that you have written inside is. Copyright is an example of intellectual property and is protected either automatically from theft or copying or you can register it to protect it. People are able to earn recognition or financial benefit (pay to use) from what they invent or create. The main aim of intellectual property is to provide an environment of which creativity and innovation flourish. 

Trademark is an recognisable sign/design that identifies products or services of a particular source from another. The owner of a trademark can be an individual, business organistation or any legal entity and can be located on the product itself. They are used to claim exclusive properties of products or services. Therefore, overall trademark is a sign that you can use to distinguish your product or service from other traders that can be represented graphically in the company's logo or signature to protect your brand.