Copyright Aid

Hi . I produce,direct,edit online trailers and broadcast promotional material for the entertainment industry. Theatre productions mainly. I'm trying to find out if I own the copyright of the trailers I produce or do the producers of the production- who have commissioned me- own it?

Numerous times I have been commissioned to produce a B2B sales trailer which has then used to promote the show. I see these as two very different applications and domains. Some trailers have been running for many years now and are making a considerable income for the production.

In the future should/could i stipulate the type usage and time frame of the material.
many thanks

If there is no contract/terms of service, then it would depend on whether you are working as an employee or on a freelance basis. This copyright law factsheet should help you understand - See section 5 'Who owns a piece of work', but this really should be something that is defined in your contract.

If you are the copyright owner, then yes you have the right to control how your work is used, and you could certainly include restrictions and conditions in your terms.

Thank you for that, it very useful. I am freelance, so as I understand it from your fact sheet this means I do hold the copyright. Do I now need to approach a copyright lawyer to produce the contracts or is there a example of a contract available?
many thanks.

I don't know where you could find example contracts (most places would charge) - but it certainly worth having a look round on Google etc. It's certainly worthwhile to draft up what you think should be covered before you go to a solicitor.

If you do find any sources for free example contracts - please let me know, I would like to put a link to them on this site as I know a lot of people would find them useful.