The Tacoma Arts Commission and Washington Lawyers for the Arts are pairing up to offer the first in a series of Brown Bag Seminars in Tacoma on July 22. This is a not-to-be-missed workshop for anyone interested in copyright law. While the workshop title singles out metal art (in a nod to Metal-Urge 2009), this information is applicable to all artists and attorneys. Securing and Protecting Rights in Your Works: Essential Law for Designers and Creators of Metal Art Description: While jewelry and other three dimensional designs may be eligible for copyright protection, the law poses unique challenges for designers working in these mediums. Additional pitfalls can arise when marketing and selling these works. An intellectual property attorney with Washington Lawyers for the Arts will present a 2-hour interactive session designed to help you understand the laws governing the design, creation, ownership, marketing, and distribution of jewelry, sculptural designs, and similar works. You will learn about the following: What is copyrightable and how to increase the chances of receiving protection for a design; creativity requirements for protection including the difference between the expression of an idea v. the idea itself; and creative variations of a pattern in the public domain; Copyright ownership issues including: work-for-hire issues, transfers of ownership; Laws pertaining to the ownership and use of photographs of works; marketing issues and contract issues. Attendees will be able to pick up a list of Tacoma-Olympia based attorneys available for artists at the session should they need legal assistance. Who: For All Artists and Attorneys in the Tacoma-Olympia Area What: WLA attorney Venkat Balasubramani will be presenting the interactive Brown Bag : "Securing and Protecting Rights in Your Works: Essential Law for Designers and Creators of Metal Art" Where: Tacoma Musical Playhouse, 7116 Sixth Avenue, Tacoma. When: July 22nd from 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Cost: In Advance: $10 artists and students; $35 attorneys and paralegals At the Door: $15 artists and students; $40 attorneys and paralegals RSVP: Contact the WLA at info@thewla.org or call: (206) 328 - 7053. To reserve your seat online Email Brown Paper Tickets at http://brownpapertickets.com/producer/3042 , or phone 24/7 at 800.838.3006. For more information about the WLA or about this brownbag, visit http://theWLA.org<http://thewla.org/>. Naomi Strom-Avila Cultural Arts Specialist City of Tacoma 747 Market Street, Room 900 Tacoma, WA 98402 253.591.5191