Shortly speaking IP rights are rules which helps protect someone's work by stealing or copying. By work, I mean things like the name of your brands, products. Also, we can protect inventions, look of product and design, in general, things you make or produce, for example, writing, graphic design etc. Types of Intellectual property protection could be copyright, designs, patents or trademarks. However, is good to know some types of IP rights are protected by law automatically but for others, you nee
Several recent studies report that creative industries have a remarkable impact on economic growth, job creation, and social aspects of life. The creative sector is comprised of enterprises that are professionally involved in creating, producing, and distributing creative products and services. Many of their income streams are derived from intellectual property, therefore, is important to protect IP rights from potential thefts.
Web Development is quite a specific part of creative industries because plenty of work happening behind of scenes by using programming languages, therefore is quite difficult to monitor the code is unique or used from open source. The truth is Developers are responsible for how web app run, and sometimes they use components or frameworks which standardize code. Although is quite important to hire or work with developers who are aware of this fact but they build websites relay on their components and make the final product unique.
Platforms like Github or Codepen allows you to set up a licence for your repository like code or app (Github licence types).
In this point we are going to focus on some elements taken from Web Development that need to be considered according to IP rights:
The above examples present only 'top of the Icberg' of IP rights related to web dev, however, the conclusion which coming is: developers need to possess basic knowledge and also to get support from employers about IP rights. Design is also another part of There may be a difference between what you own and what you have rights to. Your web developer and you will have discussed the details in your initial contract. The terms and conditions of the contract should be reviewed on a regular basis. In particular, be sure to carefully review the property clauses if you use an agency.
Lastly, I would like to cover IP Rights relate to trademarks, logos when you are self-employed and you run freelance. In generally your work is protected even if it was commissioned by a second person, however, if you pass/sold to IP Right too soon else, the right belongs to the person who accesses rights. Therefore the best option is to keep your projects secret unless you make an agreement etc. At this point is good to divide types of protection because is more complex. In the UK we can distinguish to types of protection:
The answer to the above question is yes and no. Firstly, I think IP rights protect creativity in some aspects because creators cannot just copy ideas, patents or designs, they need to create new design solutions for the same design problems. However, creators need to go deep inside to process of creation and rely on past creations and knowledge about the type of content that is legally accessible for re-use etc. I see this process as a kind of continuity therefore many courses like Graphic Desing touch on the history of design or techniques which were common in past. We can notice very easily sometimes design trends changing or back, and in the same process, we can notice in Web Design (Neumorphism).
Also I need to agree with Joost Smiers whos says:
“In consumer cultures, most pictures, texts, motifs, labels, logos, trade names, designs, tunes, and even some colours and scents are governed, if not controlled, by … intellectual property”. The consequences of such monopoly are frightening. Groups dominating the cultural industry disseminate only the artistic works and entertainments to which they hold copyright. They invest in and promote heavily only a few star items, and earn income from the spin-offs. Because of high risk levels and return-on-investment requirements, worldwide marketing campaigns are so aggressive that all other artistic creations bypass many people’s cultural awareness. This jeopardises the diversity of artistic expression, which is essential to democracy.
As we can notice diversity in the creative industry is kept by lawyers and also other creators cannot create something which doesn't meet mainstream conventions. Also is good to mention facts very often at the same time but in different places, developers or designers can get the same ideas or products (flux) because they try to solve the same problems etc. but IP rights secure only rights according to someone register patents etc. I think is quite unfair, because creators don't have the intention to copy another job, they just created a very similar design solution. etc.
Read more about Joost Smiers book.
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