Following on from the recent GCA Copyright and Licensing Zoom webinar with legal specialists Briffa (the slides of which are now uploaded into the members area of the trade association’s website www.greetingcardassociation.org.uk/), ACID (the respected Anti Copying in Design group) is to host an IP and Licensing webinar tailored specifically to the greeting card and giftware sectors next Thursday.
The webinar, which will take place on 10 September, starting at 11am, is free to attend. It will demystify what intellectual property is and the importance of protecting it. What to do about online theft, rules about using images on greeting cards, as well as essential clauses to use in any IP/licensing agreements.
“British greeting card designers and makers are some of the best in the world and the IP that underpins original designs needs to be protected. Unfortunately, there are those that want to take the fast track to market by free riding on your ideas and creativity to copy or ‘adapt’ them, “says ACID’s ceo Dids Macdonald, OBE, who will be leading the webinar. “ACID is here to support you and other like-minded creatives as a community to demonstrate our commitment to protecting creative designs and products.”
Dids will share some of her practical insights into building a pro-active intellectual property strategy to enhance growth and protect designs. Her advice is based on personal experience as, what prompted her to set up ACID was that her own designs were copied shamelessly by some major high street retailers. “I believe that taking a few steps to better understand the laws that protect designers can make all the difference,” says Dids.
Click to see a short video explaining about the IP webinar and a link to Zoom registration and more details.
As to her view of where we are on the barometer of being copied/needing to protect ourselves, Dids advises that sadly, it is on the increase, feeling that sadly many small card companies and designers “do not have the luxury of being able to use lawyers to defend their corner. So they tend to resort to social media. Good if they use the right wording, but can be calamitous if they make groundless threats or use libellous language.”
On a broader scale, Dids is hopeful that ACID’s lobbying campaign to protect UK IP in Europe after we leave the EU will be upheld. “After four years of consistent lobbying we have got the UK government to include reciprocity of EU and UK unregistered design rights in negotiations. (see news story). If it is negotiated it will affect the majority of UK designers in a positive way. This is quite a major thing because the majority of UK designers are set to lose protection in 27 member states if it doesn’t happen. If no deal, then not.”
See more of ACID’s campaigning news by clicking here.
Top: ACID (Anti Copying in Design) has provided protection and advice to many greeting card companies on the IP front.
