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    The Creative Trust · Guides

    Legal guides
    for working artists

    Plain-language answers to the questions artists ask most — contracts, entities, copyright and trademark, and collaboration splits. General information, written so you know what question you're facing before you need a lawyer.

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    Contracts

    Contracts 101 for Artists

    What a contract does, a read-before-you-sign checklist, red flags, and what “work for hire” really means. General information for emerging artists.

    8 min readRead the guide

    Business Formation

    When Your Art Needs an LLC

    What an LLC protects, what it doesn’t, how entities are taxed at a high level, and the signs the question is worth asking. General information.

    8 min readRead the guide

    Intellectual Property

    Protecting Your Name and Your Work

    Copyright is automatic; registration is what makes it enforceable. Trademark protects your name. The difference, plus scams that target artists.

    9 min readRead the guide

    Collaboration

    Collaboration and Split Agreements

    Why handshake splits fail, what a split sheet records, band agreements, and sampling basics. Write down the collaboration while everyone agrees.

    9 min readRead the guide

    These guides are general legal information for artists, not legal advice. Reading them does not create an attorney-client relationship, and law varies by state and by the facts of a situation. For guidance on your own circumstances, request help or consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction.

    Have a situation these guides don't cover?

    If you are an emerging artist with a contract in front of you, a name worth protecting, or a matter that needs a lawyer's eyes, The Creative Trust's intake is confidential and reviewed by a person.

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