Advertising Law Tool Kit - Tenth Edition | 2022

24 / Venable Copyright Counseling and Protection Justin E. Pierce jepierce@Venable.com +1 202.344.4442 Meaghan H. Kent mhkent@Venable.com +1 202.344.4481 A properly maintained copyright portfolio is essential to any successful brand owner. Copyright can extend to advertisement copy, manuals, visuals, art, photography, storyboards, scripts, film, video, online components, mobile apps, social media posts, websites, music, developed characters appearing in ads, and logos. From the outset, it is vital to ensure that you will own the rights to the intellectual property (IP) being created. If any content is created by someone who is not an employee operating in the scope of employment, you need a written agreement in place to ensure ownership, through either a work-for-hire agreement or an assignment, with special nuances in some states, such as California. In addition, to limit exposure, you must also ensure appropriate clearance of content, such as appropriate licensing of music, footage, images, and other third-party content, with both traditional media and social media. Linda J. Zirkelbach ljzirkelbach@Venable.com +1 202.344.4410