When using the PitchMark® platform, you have the autonomy to define the specific terms under which a client can use your work. These criteria are captured directly on the PitchMark® certificate, creating an official and indelible record of the agreement.
Under normal circumstances, the person you are pitching to is under no obligation to buy or use your certificate. But if a client refuses to pay the licensing fee but still uses your idea, the PitchMark® certificate serves as a critical layer of defence by providing indelible documentary evidence of your ownership and the terms offered.
If a prospect objects to your inclusion of a PitchMark® certificate, it typically leads to one of two outcomes: it either initiates a necessary conversation about Intellectual Property (IP) rights, or serves as a warning sign about the client's intentions.
PitchMarking differs from traditional copyright and Non-Disclosure Agreements by focusing on active deterrence and formalized evidence rather than just legal recourse after a theft has occurred. While traditional laws such as copyright, trademarks, and patents exist, they often fail to fully protect ideas, especially in the early informal stages of a pitch.
Retainer work is hard to come by in the PR industry, which means most of your output is project-based. Worst of all, they might just use the written materials you produce without any payment to you at all. Now with PitchMark® Ideas.Exchange they are on notice that you reserve all rights to your work. If they accept it they can pay for it straight away.
In the most recent development, Singaporean photographer Jingna Zhang won a two-year copyright battle against fine art painter Jeff Dieschburg in the Luxembourg court.
In June 2022, Zhang filed a copyright lawsuit against Dieschburg accusing him of copying her photograph and displaying the painting at an international exhibition as well as winning a cash prize.
However, in December 2022, the
