MFAD’s legal beagle Frank Martinez introduced second year students to the world of copyright. Our own MFAD Crit editor Jennifer Glaser reports on Martinez, IP and more . . .

“Getting a copyright costs only $35, and you can apply online.”

If second-year students take nothing else away from Frank Martinez’s intellectual property law class, that was the invaluable advice he offered shortly after he introduced himself.

Of course, there’s been plenty of other valuable advice as well, advice students would be paying several hundred dollars an hour for if they walked into the Martinez Group’s Brooklyn offices. In two classes, Martinez also has touched on privacy, negotiation, business structures,contracts, due process, and due diligence. (And that bringing candy to
class means you can deduct $30 from your taxes for “client development.” Very useful.)

Frank’s unusual background — before he became an attorney specializing in intellectual property law he was a designer and a design patent examiner — gives him special insight into the legal issues designers can face.

“What you’re creating isn’t just pretty pictures; what you’re creating has a tangible benefit,” he told the class. His intellectual property class aims to help MFA students learn how to protect the value of that work.