The Exhibitions Group (UK): Copyright & Reproductions

All exhibitions are now likely to involve copyright and reproduction in some way. Gone are the days when exhibitions consisted of only a physical element. Now visitors, researchers, bloggers, curators and other parties fully expect a digital element to be part of an exhibition. Supporting material such as catalogues will also be expected, as will merchandise, not only as part of the visitor experience but also by venues themselves as they come under increasing pressure to generate income. All this activity, and more, centres around copyright, reproduction, and sometimes other kinds of intellectual property (‘IP’).

Contracts will be required to formalise agreements with the lender, owner and/or photographers on the one hand and publishers and/or venues on the other.

The advice contained in this document should be regarded not as ‘legal advice’ (always seek specialist legal advice in given situations), but as best practice based on UK copyright law.

Author: Bernard Horrocks (2015).

Part of The Exhibitions Group Exhibition Makers’ Toolkit Resources.

The Exhibitions Group (UK) helps everyone involved in exhibition making to connect and create relevant, sustainable, diverse and accessible exhibitions with our training, resources, and networking opportunities.