Copyright Basics and Trademarks for Creatives

August 20,2026

12:00 pm EDT

1 hour

Without proper copyright protection, it is almost impossible for an artist, photographer or other creative type to build a unique and recognizable “brand” in the marketplace. Every creative professional needs to know the basics of U.S. and international copyright law.

One of the trickiest parts of starting any business is choosing the right name. You need to be sure your name can be trademarked and that you can build a killer Internet and social media presence around it. It gets even trickier with multiple brands, or when the name that appears on your products and services is different from your company name.

This webinar will cover:

• What is copyright, and why is it important?

• What must you do to claim a copyright?

• Can I use someone else’s copyrighted work without permission?

• Am I protected when I post my work online?

• What should I do if I see someone has copied my work without permission

• The five steps you must follow in selecting a name for your business

• “Common law” trademarks vs. “registered” trademarks

• Federal vs. state trademarks vs. service marks

Prior to the Webinar:

• Look at each of your artworks: is there a copyright notice next to your signature? If not, ask yourself where it would go.
• Is there a copyright notice on your website, Facebook page and everywhere else you promote your artwork online? If not, find out how difficult and expensive it would be to add one.
• Go to https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/search, click on “Search Our Trademark Database”, and do a “Basic Word Search” on a name you would like to trademark. Click on one the registered trademarks that show up and see which product/service categories it’s registered for.

Presenter: Cliff Ennico

CLIFF ENNICO (www.cliffennico.com), one of America’s top small business lawyers, is best known as the former host of MONEYHUNT, the PBS television series, and the author of “Succeeding in Your Business,” a nationally syndicated newspaper column. He is a frequent contributor to Entrepreneur and other small business magazines, has hosted over 100 videos on YouTube®, and is the author of 17 books on entrepreneurship and career management.

https://www.score.org/ct/western-connecticut/business-education/copyright-basics-and-trademarks-for-creatives/