Charles R. Heuer, Esq., FAIA, Covenants, Charlottesville, Va.

      Every architect must have a solid working knowledge of copyright law: how it affects their work products and their use of other people’s work products. The issues involve proper credit, professional liability exposure, and compensation. Examine copyright coverage, ownership, licenses for use, duration, and required notices. Discuss how AIA contract documents deal with these issues and where the flexibility to negotiate lies.

Learning objectives:

• Recognize what copyrights protect, how they are registered, how they are transferred or licensed, and how to enforce the rights granted
• Determine if you are infringing on someone else's copyrighted work or someone is infringing on your protected work and the steps to take to avoid problems or claims
• Use the language in the standard AIA contract documents to negotiate successfully with clients on possible modifications without inadvertently waiving rights or restricting your own practice.