There is art for art’s sake, and there is art that has marketable value. If you are a creator with a desire to monetize your creations, finding ways to do it and protect your intellectual property rights at the same time can be frustrating. Navigating the choppy waters of copyright law is easier with an experienced pilot, a skilled IP attorney, at the wheel.
One logical way for artists to make money from their work is by leveraging their copyright through licensing. Sales can generate royalties. But what is a good royalty rate? How will payments be made? What will it take to enforce the terms of the agreement? An attorney can help answer these questions, and what follows is some basic information.
Licensing fundamentals
The premise of licensing is that you have a work of literature, art, music – maybe software – and someone else thinks they can sell it. So, licensing rule number one is: Only license your work to someone you trust to do it properly. Cousin Vinnie might have big ideas. Does he have the necessary experience? You might research your potential licensee by speaking with licensors who’ve preceded you.
Be sure you aren’t giving up more than you think. To maintain control, you need to maintain ownership of the copyright. If your proposed agreement has you assigning your artwork over to someone else, that means you are giving them full ownership. A license to manufacture and sell means the licensee only has those rights subject to the other terms you dictate.
Make sure the license is limited in time. By setting a date or terms under which the license terminates, you ensure that any rights granted revert to you. You can also dictate conditions, e.g., the licensee has no rights at all unless you are paid whenever money is due you.
Also consider ways you don’t want your work used, and make sure there’s language to that effect in the agreement. You can also control how sublicensing of your work is handled or disallow it altogether.
Finally, protect yourself. Include a clause in the agreement that shields you from incurring damages if your licensee’s use of the art triggers lawsuits other than breach of your warranty of ownership.
Licensing is a broad field. It can be hard to know where the bases are and how to be sure they are covered without legal assistance.
Source: FindLaw, “Licensing Artwork: Key Issues,” accessed Sept. 20, 2017