© Copyright
Please be aware that this is not legal advice. This is general, freely available information intended as a starting point for independent research.
At the end of this article, there are links to resources and future reading.
Retaining Copyright
In Australia, copyright of an author's IP (intellectual property) is automatically assigned once an individual creates something and documents it.
Adding the © Copyright symbol will remind people of this.
Quoting from IP Australia -
Copyright protection is free and automatic. It protects your original expression of an idea as soon as you document it.
This is subject to change if a contract is signed that says anything to the contrary, or if working in a different country under different laws.
It is also important to note that copyright does not protect an idea, but rather the expression of an idea.
The original creator of a work is called the ‘author’. In this age of AI (Artificial Intelligence), it is becoming more accepted to use the term ‘human author’.
The difference between copyright and licensing
Typically, a licence is what is granted to a client when commissioning an illustration.
A licence gives clients the right to use illustrated work within agreed-upon parameters.
Some illustrators sell the copyright to their work for a variety of reasons.
Typically, an illustrator's verbal agreement or contract will specifically state where and when the illustration can be used. This will be the bounds of the licence.
If the need for usage expands beyond the original agreement, this can be organised by contacting the original author of the work.
As a designer, I have no right to an author's original IP, but I help it look as good as possible, whether it is image or text.
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