ArtsFest Online: ‘Can I use this image?' The ABCs of UK Copyright Law in the Arts

Have you ever found an image online that you thought would be a great addition to your own work? Have you wanted to decorate a presentation, poster or your blog online? Or perhaps you have tried to use an image found online as a starting point only, in your own work? Perhaps you have wanted to use a photograph of yourself on Instagram, Twitter or another website, to promote your own work; yet it was not a photograph taken by yourself? Copyright law governs our rights, freedoms and limitations in using other people’s work (in physical spaces or online). In this brief talk, the author explores the basic concepts of copyright law, focusing on the use of images. Audience will get the opportunity to ask specific questions, related to all matters of intellectual property law. Dr Metka Potočnik is a Lecturer in Law at the University of Wolverhampton (UK). Her research interests focus on the critical investigation of intellectual property law through a feminist lens; and she has published in the area of intellectual property law, arbitration and foreign direct investment. Her most systemic publication is a research monograph Arbitrating Brands (EE 2019), in which she examines the emerging cross-section between international intellectual property law, foreign direct investment and international arbitration. Dr Potočnik is the Acting Editor in Chief at the Wolverhampton Law Journal and also sits on the Board of Directors of the F-List for Music CIC, which focuses on gender equality in the music industry. Dr Potočnik remains an examiner at University of London, and has previously taught at King’s College London, Queen Mary University London, University College London and University of Surrey.