-Copyright laws extend to the Internet and the ease with which electronic material can be duplicated often means people are unaware that these laws apply," Deacons Lawyers' digital industries lawyer, Darryn Hammond said.
In response to a recent case in the United Kingdom surrounding the ownership of material on the Internet, Hammond is warning Australian Web designers and owners of a legal battleground if written agreements do not accompany original work published on a Web site.
-In a Web page there can be so many different copyright owners involved, if it is set in black and white then people know exactly what their obligations are,"
Furthermore, -if you want a design to be unique to an organisation, you have to set it out in a contract," Hammond said.
In addition, Deacons recommends that once a Web page is designed there needs to be a warning put up on the site informing users that the material is not a free for all.
-People often think they don't need contracts for these types of simple arrangements, however they are invaluable not only when a dispute arises but also in preventing disputes as each partly clearly knows their obligations," he said.
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