General Information Regarding Copyright.
- When you buy a CD of music, you do not obtain the copyright to go with it, which means you can not rebroadcast or reproduce that music in any form for profit of any kind. Yet many people are not aware that the same rules apply to visual art as well.
- An artist, any artist, retains the copyright to their works, from the moment they create it whether they indicate the copyright in writing or not.
- An artist does NOT have to put a copyright mark on their art, or sign it, or register it, or indicate that a copyright exists in any way in order to retain their copyright.
- When an artist sells an original work they do not automatically convey the copyright for that work to the buyer. For example, if a Photographer were to sell someone a print of their original image, they are not selling permission to use that image for profit. The Buyer is not allowed to scan and reproduce it for resale. In a similar way, painters, sculptors and other visual artists also retain the copyright to their original works from the moment they create it, and even after they sell the original.
- It is NOT incumbent upon the artist to specifically prohibit reproduction or to prohibit any other use of their idea for profit.
- It IS incumbent upon anyone who wishes to use the artist's image to obtain permission to use that image before actually doing so.
How does someone go about getting permission to use an image?
- The permission to use copyrighted materials is granted by a license.
- The copyright owner can sell all or part of their rights.
- They can also limit the amount of time the license is granted for and the number of uses in the license.
- Does Jake grant licenses?
- The artist may agree to license a work for commercial use, or one-time limited non commercial use with a signed licensing agreement.
- Under no circumstances will the artist agree to licensing the art in any form or for any purpose without a written agreement stating the scope of that license.
- If you wish to use one of the artist's image be prepared to discuss the scope of the use and be prepared to sign a licensing agreement.
- The artist does not have to grant a license.
- The artist may charge a fee or royalty for the use of the license.
If you wish to use one of Jake's images, use the form below on this page, and describe what you want to use the image for, how long you want to use it, how many copies, who you are, who do you work for etc. Please provide as much information about you, your company and your project as possible in the initial contact so you can get an answer one way or the other quickly.
- All reproduction and publishing copyrights are retained by the artist. Susan Beckman, AKA Jake. Images are not to be copied, re-distributed, imitated or derived in any form.
- The artist has registered Jake's original art with the Office of Copyright in Washington DC.
- Susan Beckman, AKA Jake, AKAJake will seek legal remedy if Jake's copyrights are violated. Given that the copyrights are federally registered, this entitles the artist not only to issue "cease and desist" but also to seek damages in the case where the copyright was used for profit with out Jake's permission. If you violate Jake's copyright, be prepared to hand over your profits, your merchandise and more.
- Forbearance or waiver of copyright at anytime shall not be deemed or construed as a waiver of that the artist's right to future performance, or any subsequent breach of copyright. If Jake fails to take action should someone violate Jake's copyright, that does not mean that Jake waives the right to future action for any current or subsequent breach of copyright.
Art and Business Consulting LLC (ABC LLC)operates several co-branded websites: AKAJake.com, AKAJakeArt.com, AKAJakeGifts.com, AKAJake Prints.com, XmasDementiaCartoons.com & ArtandBusinessConsulting.com. When you submit information & otherwise conduct business through these co-branded websites you are conducting business with Art and Business Consulting LLC. Jake is the managing member of ABC LLC.
Contact Information
This form is provided for those who are interested in potentially licensing one or more of Jake's images. Please be as detailed as possible with regard to your contact information. Use the Comments area to describe the project in detail and how you want to use Jake's images. The more information you provide in this initial contact the more quickly we can respond with our answer. We thank you for your interest.
ABC LLC tested this form in Internet Explorer 7, Internet Explorer 5 and Firefox 2, however there have been some reports from the big blue box where the form didn't work. If you still want to contact ABC LLC please try using one of the alternate contact methods. We apologize in advance for any difficulty this may cause you.