One Can Steal Ideas But No One Can Steal Execution or Passion – Tim Ferris
We definitely look forward to a more robust system to protect intellectual property in the apparel and creative sector, until then we had IP Law expert Angela Adebayo, CEO Silvax Legal/ Inventa give a workshop legal protection for fashion entrepreneurs and creatives.
Angela led a very heated and interactive workshop, sharing her knowledge and raising awareness on not just startup legal requirements and trademarking but on how creatives can better protect their work including copyright protection for designers. We also had fashion designer Ejiro Amos Tafiri passionately share her experience with copycats. Ejiro also expressed that this issue is further fuelled by irresponsible journalism within Nigeria’s fashion industry.
Here are some of the key takeaways:
Fashion Illustrators + Graphic Designers
Under law, fashion illustrators and graphic designer working under a fashion brand/house have full copyright to their designs, this means the sketches/drawings created by an illustrator can be reused by them without any permission from their employers. So make sure you have the necessary agreements and clauses in place when hiring and/or contracting an illustrator or graphic designer.
Photographers
Photographers actually retain the full copyright to an image regardless of whether you paid them or not. When contracting its good practice to state and agree with the photographer on how and where the images will be used and distributed.
Before you think about copycats, what have you put in place to protect yourself? – Angela AdebayoÂ
Photo Credit: Leke Alabi-Isama for The AssemblyÂ
Further Reading:
The Menance of Intellectual property theft in NigeriaÂ
Why African innovators must protect their intellectual property?
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