Copyright Should I allow this?

[plowry]

I hired an artist to create some artwork for my website. The artwork will be used to illustrate the different categories on our site.

On the artwork we asked the artist to place a copy of our logo in the artwork to deter people from stealing it. After reviewing a couple samples that the artist created I noticed that he placed his signature in the corner of each rendering which made me a little nervous.

What legal issues can arise from allowing the artist to sign this artwork. Should I allow him to do this?

 

[fredrikklaw]

An unnecessary endeavour!

Most certainly, NOT!

He (the artist) can insert as many of his signature into the artwork as he pleases, IF the piece was his own oil painting which was going to be displayed in your gallery for an upcoming art exhibition, but not in this instance.

Here, you hired him to create some artwork for your website and as such all material created in this context, be it art or pencil doodling, belong to you lock, stock, and barrel to do with as you please and he has no right or privilege to sign the pieces. You can always give the artist and his business a mention at the bottom of your website pages where you would be acknowledging the following (for example): WEBMASTER: John Johnson – ADVERTISING by David Smith, so on and so forth.

I mean, that said, you can always leave the signature where it is by having your attorney prepare a long, detailed legal document to be signed by you and the artist, which document would basically say that the signature appears on the website at the artist's request and at your pleasure, and that it is not meant by the artist to be for copyright purposes, etc, etc.

But why risk even the remotest possibility of a future claim by the artist for rights of ownership and copyright violations? Because regardless of how tightly integrated the document, a motivated attorney will always find a point of contention in there somewhere on basis of which to commence legal action.

Hire him, pay him, and be done with it, because you really should NOT subject yourself to be attached to the artist by the umbilical cord that is his signature.

fredrikklaw