On the 2nd of September the former Attorney-General, Mark Dreyfus QC announced the Arts Law Centre of Australia will receive $480,000 over the next four years to help continue its Artists in the Black outreach program providing legal services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and their communities.
Arts Law's Deputy Director, Delwyn Everard, will be speaking at 'Revealed' in Perth, WA. 'Revealed' features emerging Aboriginal artists from WA. As well as a three day, art exhibition, there will be a professional development program for artists and those working in the art industry.
DATE: Monday 15 April 2013
TIME: 9am-10.30am
WHERE: Central Institute of Technology, 12 Aberdeen St Northbridge
Arts Law understands that the legal issues involved in making a film are just as layered as the creative process needed to produce a film! This Arts Law seminar will inform you of the legal basics all film makers should know.
DATE: Thursday 16 May 2013
TIME: 4-6pm
WHERE: The Old Courthouse, Cnr Hartley and Parsons Streets (entry via Parsons Street), Alice Springs
The Arts Law Centre of Australia is pleased to announce that over $1 million in royalties has been returned to Australian artists thanks to the Australian Government’s resale royalty scheme, administered by Copyright Agency.
Arts Law is very proud of the hard work and commitment of our team in contributing to the proposed repeal of discriminatory provisions in the AAPA Act.
The Arts Law Centre is a leading advocate for Indigenous artists. Its Artists in the Black service engages in advocacy and casework and has resulted in widespread benefits within the Indigenous art community with the aim of promoting Australian Indigenous art and ensuring copyright and other rights are upheld. Arts Law has advocated for better protection of Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) through its participation at WIPO conferences and ongoing submissions to the Federal government to enact legislative reform on this issue. Arts Law actively participated in the deliberations which lead to the introduction of The Indigenous Art Code recognising that Indigenous visual artists from remote and regional areas are often substantially disadvantaged in commercial negotiations. It has developed best practice standards for businesses and public bodies dealing with Indigenous artists which are promoted through its sample agreements, best practice document review service and educational workshops.
Read Arts Law’s Cultural policy submission
In June 2012 Arts Law submitted to IP Australia a response to their call for contributions to the discussion on the adequacy of protocols to manage ‘Indigenous Knowledge’ or ‘Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property’ (ICIP).
For many artists, their intellectual property in their artistic and creative output is one of the most valuable and enduring assets in their estate. If they pass away intestate, this asset is often neglected or not understand, which can lead not only to a failure to protect the artist’s artistic legacy, but to unchecked copyright infringements and a loss of value to the artist’s family. This is particularly true for Australia’s Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander artists living in remote and regional areas. Arts Law has delivered educational wills workshops throughout Indigenous communities in all states helping artists to make wills and, through its casework service, assisted many Indigenous families to manage intestate estates. It has campaigned tirelessly for amendment to the discriminatory Western Australian legislation which takes the right to manage the estate of a deceased Aboriginal person away from family and vests it in the Public Trustee. Arts Law also advocates for improved education about the importance of wills and how to draft a will, especially among Indigenous artists and artists from minority or disadvantaged backgrounds.
The Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC) has issued a report At the Heart of Art which is a snapshot of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations in the visual arts sector.
As reported in Perth Now issued on the July 5th 2012, “THE WA government plans to repeal 40-year-old legislation that deals with the estates of Aboriginal people in a discriminatory way”.