CREATIVE / Art, fashion, design & other creative industries
Creativity cannot be confined to a single area of law.
A work of art, piece of designer furniture, illustration, photograph, artwork or 3D model may simultaneously involve copyright, design rights, trade mark law, rights of publicity, contracts and confidentiality.
Indie Law helps creators and creative businesses to determine what is protected, who holds the rights, and how the creation can be safely produced, licensed and brought to market.
Who is it for?
Artists
Galleries
Authors
Photographers
Illustrators
Designers
Architects
Fashion designers
Labels
Design studios
Agencies
Cultural organisations
Museums
Makers of digital and physical products
Partnerships & copyright
Creative work is often commissioned or produced in collaboration with others. We help clients draw up the appropriate contractual arrangements and advise them on matters such as the transfer of rights, licences, credits, exclusivity, production and liability.
Licensing & commercialisation
Not every creation is protected by copyright. We advise on the application of the originality requirement for copyright protection, co-creation, ‘work-for-hire’ agreements, the copyright of employees and freelancers, the registration of designs, proof of the date of creation, and plagiarism.
Counterfeits, copies & unauthorised use
A strong design can be exploited across multiple products, territories and partners. Licences must therefore be clear regarding territory, duration, exclusivity, prior approvals, quality control, minimum guarantees, royalties, reporting and sell-off.
Tell us about your case
Where work is copied, sold online or used in campaigns without permission, we determine the most effective course of action: securing evidence, initiating a ‘notice and take down’ procedure with platforms, issuing a cease-and-desist notice, entering into negotiations or taking legal action.
Useful links
- BOIP, Benelux Office for Intellectual Property government body responsible for trade mark registration in the Benelux
- EUIPO government body responsible for the registration of EU trade marks and Community designs
- Federal Public Service for the Economy and Intellectual Property official information on intellectual property rights
- YEP self-regulatory body of the Belgian advertising sector
- Flanders DC the point of contact for fashion and design in Flanders
- Sofam collecting society for visual artists
- The Authors collecting society for authors
- Arts Centre arts centre
- Culture Desk business and legal advice for the cultural sector