Who owns the rights to costume and set designs?

[ErinDillyFan]

Posted: 11/20/06 at 9:01am

The Urinetown controversy, made me think about the companies that buy professional sets and costumes and then rent them.

Do they have to pay royalities to the original designers or is that covered in their original purchase price?

[Fosse76]

Posted: 11/20/06 at 10:03am

It's generally a work-for-hire. The producers own the rights. I'm not sure, and someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe they receive royalties.

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 11/20/06 at 10:04am

Both are options, depending on the company and the contracts they use when purchasing the sets.

Akiva

[AnythingCanHappen]

Posted: 11/20/06 at 3:50pm

I should know more about this as I am a technical theatre major... but as far as I know, RENT is the only show in history to have actual copyrighted costumes for sure.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 11/20/06 at 4:41pm

"RENT is the only show in history to have actual copyrighted costumes for sure."

I thought the actors used clothing they found in their closets, which was then replicated. Can costumes even be copyrighted? Clothing in general? I'll have to check into that.

[lildogs]

Posted: 11/20/06 at 4:56pm

Well, if you can copyright an image, like Mickey Mouse or a logo, I would think you could, but then again....

[Rotel1026]

Posted: 11/20/06 at 5:21pm

Isn't the costume part of the image? I can't see how you could copyright costumes as anything other than as part of an image.

And if anything, Rent should probably be the last one to have copyrights on it's costumes because it's clothes are pretty much just street clothes. I could see it with Wicked and some of the Disney shows, but when your costumes look like they came off a rack, doesn't seem right.

[blaxx]

Posted: 11/20/06 at 5:28pm

I know for international productions they are often given the option to buy a production's design, logos, etc. Sometimes there is not even a choice, and these productions must be a replica of the original. In case creatives from the original are involved (they often send choreographers and directors involved in the original staging) they are sometimes given the freedom to "adapt" certain aspects of the show (costume or set pieces, etc.) to "freshen" it up.

So, I would say the producers own these designs, so they can exploit them to their will.

[thevolleyballer]

Posted: 11/20/06 at 6:04pm

I've seen Beauty and the Beast done with perfectly identical, replicated costumes from a Disney company, and then with completely abnormal outfits that would shame the original creative team.

Also, every production that I've seen of A Chorus Line has had basically identical costumes for Diana, Cassie, Greg, Mike, Paul, Bebe, Maggie, Al, and a couple of others.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 11/20/06 at 6:18pm

I once heard about some drama with Love! Valour! Compassion! and the original set design being copied exactly in a regional production without permission. The original set designer was the plaintiff of the lawsuit and won some settlement because he had the copyrights for his designs.

[Joelbeans]

Posted: 11/20/06 at 6:27pm

THere are rights only on costumes if whichever royalty company hold certain show rights requests that. I know for sure that Beauty and the Beast says that you cannot replicate any of the costumes, at least for Belle, I am not sure about the rest. But I have seen shows over and over, and they replicate the Broadway costumes. How many times have you seen 42nd Street and Peggy Sawyer didn't enter with a sky blue suit, white blouse, and a hat. SO I think it just depends on the company. Pretty much anything Disney will probably have rights to some of their costumes. I am not certain on this, this is just some of the stuff that I hear from my best friend who is a costumer here in St. Louis.

[Dave Paulson]

Posted: 11/20/06 at 7:33pm

Whomever copywrites them. It can the the designer, the producer or some other legal entity.

Now whether the designs are copywrite-able or not is another discussion. As is the one about how they would be. As is the one of whether they should be.

There is a big risk here. See the thread on Hunter Foster for more.

[AnythingCanHappen]

Posted: 11/20/06 at 8:50pm

the costumes were copyrighted so when the rights are available for other 'non professional/community/highschool/college' etc will need to replicate them. i am fairly certain i read that in the official ducttapey rent book.

and the copying of costumes for a chorus line was intentional. everything is the same.