Copyright for Artists: Presentation to Loca

This morning I had the pleasure of leading a workshop on basic copyright, design and trade mark law at Loca. Loca is a cultural development agency based in Redbrick Mill in Batley. The mill has been converted into a 25 unit shopping centre which has attracted Habitat and Heals as well as interesting little boutiques like Bacchanalia for glass and cookware, Feature Radiators for well imaginatively designed radiators and Tansu for Japanese and Chinese furniture.
Like the other tenants of the mill, Loca focuses on regeneration. It sets out to promote creative activities in local communities throughout the metropolitan borough of Kirklees, a massive local authority in West Yorkshire between Leeds and the Greater Manchester border incorporating many old textile towns like Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Batley and Cleckheaton as well as a big slice of rural Yorkshire including my home town of Holmfirth. Loca supports artists and small businesses in the creative industries such as craftspeople, designers, painters, performers and sculptors.

The folk in my workshop today included two ladies who make individual greetings cards by hand, a gentleman who makes hand crafted carpets and floor coverings, a painter, a children's illustrator, a sculptor and a photographer. I structured the workshop around these slides and handout which concentrated on copyright and design but touched on trade marks and branding.

We had a really good discussion with some very perceptive questions. After the meeting we resolved to set up a Huddersfield Media along the lines of Bradford's Bmedi@. Indeed, Bmedi@ have offered to help launch and run it.