Legal Guide for the Visual Artist

Book excerpt: An updated edition of the legal art classic. Legal Guide for the Visual Artist is a classic guide for artists. This sixth edition is completely revised and updated to provide an in-depth view of the legal issues facing the visual artist today and provides practical legal guidance for any visual artist involved with creative work. It has been over twelve years since the fifth edition was published, and so much has changed in the world since that time, especially in the law and artists’ legal rights and obligations. This edition has been updated for both a new generation of visual artists and for those who have purchased earlier editions. Among the many new topics covered in this comprehensive guide are: copyright fair use transformative rights; recognition of the rights of temporal street art in the Five Pointz VARA case; the demise of California’s Resale Royalty statute; NFTs; detailed coverage of the myriad developments in copyright (including online copyright registration procedures and use of art on the Internet); changes in laws protecting artists in artist-gallery relationships are explained in depth; scope of First Amendment protections for graffiti art and the sale of art in public spaces; detailed as well as new cases dealing with art and privacy; and a model contract for Web site design and much more. The book also covers copyrights, moral rights, contracts, licensing, sales, special risks and protections for art and artists, book publishing, video and multimedia works, leases, taxation, estate planning, museums, collecting, grants, and how to find the best professional advisers and attorneys. In addition, the book suggests basic strategies for negotiation, gives information to help with further action, contains many sample legal forms and contracts, and shows how to locate artists' groups and Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts organizations. Legal Guide for the Visual Artist is a must-have for any visual artist hoping to share, sell, display, or publish their art.