Creative Law and Intellectual Property for Creatives (Online) | Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Creative Law and Intellectual Property for Creatives (Online)

Become familiar with your rights as artists and designers.

Course description

This course demystifies copyright, trademarks, design patents, trade secrets, licensing, work‑for‑hire, fair use/transformative use, Creative Commons, royalty structures, moral rights (Visual Artists Rights Act), and the ins and outs of commissions, gallery/agency, music, and media agreements, and digital platforms. Students build a rights strategy for their own practice and venture, draft creator‑friendly contracts, and learn how to negotiate without “lawyering up.” / This course is part of the Creative Entrepreneurship undergraduate major. Participants in this course will include undergraduate students. / Please note that this course does not qualify for the $25 alumni tuition rate.

Open to students ages 18 and above. View complete policies including class cancellation policies, before completing your registration.

Class meeting details

This online course is asynchronous, meaning that there are no set class meeting times. Instead, the course is project-based, with 2 to 3 deadlines per week, and students can choose a time and place that works best for them to complete the work. Course activities may include readings; video demonstrations and tutorials; online discussions; projects; and critiques.

Prerequisites

None

Required materials

Hardware
A computer, tablet, or smartphone with internet access.

Textbooks
See canvas.mcad.edu/books for a list of required textbooks.

Class resources

This class uses Canvas, MCAD's learning management system. Please see the link for more information.

Class savings

Register on or before January 19 and save $25.
Register for more than one class at a time and receive $25 off each additional class (same-day registrations only).
Additional savings. Are you eligible?

Questions

Contact MCAD Continuing Education at continuing_education@mcad.edu or call 612.874.3765.

Register

Title
Non-credit Tuition
$1,485.00
Not Yet Open for Registration

Registration opens January 5.

  • Date:
    -
  • Time:
    Asynchronous
  • Day(s) of the week:
    Asynchronous
  • Ages:
    Open to student ages 18 and above.
  • Term:
    Spring 2026
  • Location:
    Online
  • SKU:
    ES 3702 20 SP26

Prerequisites:

None

Address

2501 Stevens Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55404

Contact Us

612.874.3700
800.874.MCAD (6223)
Fax: 612.874.3701

Campus Directory

Join our Email List

Land Acknowledgement

The Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) acknowledges it is located on traditional, ancestral, and contemporary lands of Indigenous people. This is the ancestral homeland of the Dakota and Ojibwe people, who were forcibly exiled from the land because of aggressive and persistent settler colonialism. We recognize that this place has a complex and layered history. As a community dedicated to creativity, MCAD is committed to ongoing efforts to support and advocate for American Indian Nations and peoples.


Nondiscrimination Policy

MCAD admits students of any race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, or marital status to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, or marital status in the administration of its educational policies, scholarship and loan programs, and other school-administered programs.