Caribbean Export OUTLOOK 2016 - 2017

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A creative professional often sees the high value in free exposure and publicity versus the
copyright implications in having masses of people share and copy their creative works.
and to object to derogatory treatment of the work.
Thesevaluablerightsarethesubjectofnegotiations,
and the quality of the work along with the desires
of the parties involved are what guide the earnings,
terms and conditions of the agreement.
Digital Distribution
Not to complicate matters further, but a
negotiation, as it is implied here, may not be
with a person, since posting videos and other
copyright works on platforms such as YouTube,
iTunes and Facebook are also done under licence.
Simply by being a user of these platforms, you
have agreed to the terms and conditions which
have strong provisions on IP ownership and use.
A creative professional often sees the high value in
free exposure and publicity versus the copyright
implications in havingmasses of people share and
copy their creative works. There are simple tools
and tricks whichminimise the devaluation of the
work on the Internet; for example, technological
protection measures (TPMs) which encrypt
and block unauthorised use or access. Also,
watermarking of an image or uploading of only a
portion instead of an entire work can encourage
users to pay for access to the full version.
There are several benefits of the use of the various
platforms available to distribute content over the
Internet. Communication technology haswidened
the pool of willing buyers to anyone who can send
that product, sometimes within seconds of being
paid for. Digital goods such asmovies, photographs,
music and even website design have become in-
demand commodities which could be provided
by anyone and instantly transferred to cellular
phones and smart televisions alike. Keeping in
mind that, by law, a creative professional has the
exclusive rights to decipher when and where his
or her copyright work is used, the Internet is not
exactly themost reliable space for protection of IP
overall. For those creative professionals who have
no issue with giving more liberal access to their
works, there are platforms such as the Free Music
Archive and SoundCloud
( where you agree to a Creative
Commons licence, which can allow for varying
levels of public access to the work based on the
creative professional’s choice.
However, for those who are using the Internet as a
direct income earner fromcopyright transactions,
unregulated distribution and access to the public
of the work is equivalent to giving quality goods
away for free. Enforcement of action against
infringements over the Internet is particularly
difficult, which makes it very important to take
the right measures from the outset. Depending
on a creative professional’s target audience and
budget, they are able to choose from the many
platforms available for distribution of their works,
such as the iTunes Store and Amazon Music for
music files, and YouTube or Vimeo for video files.
Photographers have platforms available to themas
well, through Shutterstock. Budget is important
since it is obvious that the platforms will charge
users for services which can boost visibility.
Therefore, a creative professional should also
consider the ability to earn income using these
channels, but in any case these aremajor sites with
high consumer traffic which increase the earning
potential of a creative professional’s products.
Even those which are free can bring immense
value through the publicity. Justin Bieber, Kate
Upton, Psy and Adele are all notable names in the
creative industries whowere originally discovered
on the Internet.
It is obvious that a creative professional cannot
monitor global use of his or her works alone,
considering the many persons, known and
unknown, who can access and use a work with
and without his or her knowledge. Collective
Management Organizations (CMOs), otherwise
Clearing the Hurdles
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