Creative Copyright- Facts, thoughts and opinions

So, you have an amazing logo / jingle / piece of art, or anything you've created really, and you want to use it, but you're scared people are going to copy it, what do you do? Having worked with a number of past and current clients, regarding their Intellectual Property, Trade mark and registered status, it got us thinking that people should know more. We've also seen several articles lately that highlight the dangers of not protecting your work and IP. It's a hot topic in the media and it's definitely worth you considering your options about building equity in your business.


Taking the confusion out of copyright

However, what you need to do to protect your work can be somewhat confusing. After quick glance at the IPO, (Intellectual Property Office), website it became clear that it's not a simple case of 'copyright':

- Copyright: protects arts including music, literary works, dance, artworks, layouts for books etc and recordings or broadcasts of any work (music etc.). A copyright protects any medium of a piece of work, meaning that it cannot be copied in any form. Although there is no official system for copyright, the IPO suggest either sending yourself a special delivery letter with the work inside, and leave it unopened, or lodging your work with a bank, (this is not legally binding, but would provide evidence in court). Note that copyrights only protect the actually work, not the thoughts or ideas behind it. You can display that you wish to copyright your work by adding the © symbol. It is also advised to include your name and the year from which you wish to protect your work. A piece of work may have more than one copyright attached to it. A great, yet complicated example of this can be found here, regarding the highly irritating, but super catchy 'Friday' by Rebecca Black.

- Trade marks: otherwise known as your brand. The IPO define a trade mark as "a sign which can distinguish your goods and services from those of your competitors...It can be for example words, logos or a combination of both." The only way to register a trade mark is with the IPO. Although you may have registered your company name with Companies House, you may not be able to use this in your trade mark, the IPO provide a lot more information on this issue here.

- Registered Design: according to the IPO, the legal definition of a design is "the appearance of the whole or part of a product resulting from the features of, in particular, the lines, contours, colours, shape, texture or materials of the product or ornamentation." In the graphic design and branding world, this type of protection is suitable for packaging, graphic symbols, and typefaces. Designs can only be registered with the IPO, in the same way trade marks can.

- Design Right: just like copyrights do not need to be registered, neither do design rights. However design rights only protect the 3D shape and configuration of a product, not the surface patterns or other 2-dimensional aspects of the product. The IPO recommends taking similar precautions to that when protecting your copyright, e.g. mailing yourself a copy of your design and leaving it sealed.

- Patent: a patent is specifically for new inventions and protects "how things work, what they do, how they do it, what they are made of and how they are made." Patents are granted under strict guidelines, information on which can be found on the IPO website here.

The IPO also provide information on other rights regarding intellectual property, these can be found here.

Lessons learned from Leather Bags

Whether its logos, patterns or actual products, copyright infringement is serious, and can be seriously damaging to the owner of a copyright. Take, for example, the case of The Cambridge Satchel Company. It would seem obvious to assume that the brand would face problems with counterfeit products coming from overseas, however it might surprise you to hear that the company's own suppliers were using Cambridge Satchel leather and putting their own labels on the bags under a different brand name! Furthermore, it was discovered that fake social network sites had been created for the company, causing confusion for customers; a deception technique known as 'cybersquatting'.


Cultivating, or capping, creativity?

In the UK, copyright protection can last upwards of 50 years, depending on the type of material being protected. There are arguments for and against this length of time. Some claim that long copyrights increase creativity by providing protection to the creator, which is becoming more of an issue with the ease of sharing in the current digital climate. However, the point has been raised that these extended periods of protection make it difficult to revive or protect older material, as it can be difficult to find the original copyright holder in order to gain permission to use the work. Others claim that nowadays copyright is only used to protect publishing companies / record labels, not the content creators themselves.
  
These arguments raise interesting points. However, we believe, especially in the case of the individual or the independent business, copyright is essential, and trademarking must be seriously considered. Both provide protection for you and your brand from your reputation being damaged by cybersquatting or other fraudulent activities. Protecting yourself now is a lot cheaper than a legal battle later!

So how safe are you?




Sources of Information:
http://www.lawlawlandblog.com/2011/04/copyright_battles_on_friday_fu.html
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/copy/c-about.htm
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/tm/t-about/t-whatis.htm
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/design/d-about/d-whatis.htm
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/design/d-about/d-designright.htm
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/patent/p-about/p-whatis.htm
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/otherprotect.htm
http://www.law.com/corporatecounsel/PubArticleCC.jsp?id=1202590116493&A_Handbag_Maker_Battles_Counterfeits_and_Copyright_Copycats
http://www.economist.com/node/15868004
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/tm/t-about/t-whatis/t-companies.htm
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/c-basicfacts.pdf

Business cards are big business! Part 1

Once again we've been trawling the internet for inspiration, and an image caught our attention. This time it's all about business cards:


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Our personal favourite comes from Lego, we'd love to have Lego figures of us! Which is your favourite?

Your business card is the part of your brand that your potential customer / contact takes away with them. It's likely they have a whole wallet / folder of them, especially at a networking event. So how do you make sure it's you they are wanting to work with, rather than your competitor?

Getting everything you want to convey onto your business card is tough, so it's all to easy to put too much on there. Having the right balance is crucial. You don't want to overwhelm somone with a mass of information on a tiny piece of card, but nor do you want to leave them confused as to what you actually do, and more importantly, what you can do for them.
 
In some cases your name, a punchy strapline, and a phone number is all you need, in others an address, website, email address, and a Twitter handle may be more appropriate. Some even claim that your contact details are not even that important, with your company name there on the card, Google can fill in the blanks. Some people advise that you should only use one side of your business card, on the other you should leave space for people to write notes about you and your company. But we advise you at least put your logo on it, then no matter which way up your business card is, people know who it belongs to.

Nowadays it's not enough for a business card to stand out just visually. People appreciate business cards that feel, or even smell different! And there is no reason why your business card should adhere to a certain size and shape, your imagination is your only limit!

Do you have a business card that you feel stands out from the crowd? Tweet us a picture @ubd_studio!


Sources of information:
http://www.stickybranding.com/business-cards-make-a-statement/
http://www.steamfeed.com/your-business-card-is-your-first-impression/ 

World Book Day

We love to read! And that's why we're very excited that it's World Book Day! We also love the printed page which is a fantastic excuse to write a post.  Some of us are bigger bookworms than others, but we thought that we'd share with you what we are all reading at the moment:

Owen is a bit of a busy body and is currently reading three books at the same time! The books Owen is reading give you a brilliant insight into his personality. First of all, he likes to learn about, (and drink), beer, so it makes sense that he would be reading Beer School: Bottling Success at the Brooklyn Brewery. Owen also likes quirky and unusual things so there is no doubt why A History of the World in 100 Objects is right up his street. And finally, as you probably all know, Owen is a graphic designer, therefore his interest in the biography of legend Herb Lubalin, an American designer, is pretty obvious.

Lucy is a big bookworm, she is reading two books at the moment. Because she got so many books for Christmas, (including the Game of Thrones boxset!), she has only just got around to reading Life of Pi, and is refusing to watch the film until she has completed the book! She is also reading The Power, a book about the power of positive thinking.

Annabel and Ross are, quite sensibly, only reading one book each at the moment. Annabel is currently reading The Great Gatsby and Ross is reading a book by Stefan Sagmeister.

A picture is worth a thousand words...

Of course a story couldnt be a story without a great narrative, but sometimes you need something more, and that's where illustration takes over. We have worked with some very talented illustrators over the years, especially in the last few weeks on the Doodle Day posts. Below is a great video from the World Book Day website, featuring Chris Riddell and Paul Stewart, an illustrator and a writer, who work together to create fantasy worlds and creatures. They way they work is quite fascinating.


Storycraft, Chris Riddell, Paul Stewart from World Book Day on Vimeo.

Did you know World Book Day is celebrated in over 100 countries, and that the event is now in it's 16th year?! And although the World Book Day is specifically aimed at children, we think you're never too old, or too young to enjoy a good book.

Are you celebrating World Book Day? Or are you enjoying a really good book at the moment? Give us a tweet @ubd_studio.