On Arina Nada’s blog theme of student expressions and creativity, recognizing and complying with EMS legal requirements isn’t just important for law students but also for everyone else in the creative fields at UGM. A startling fact that most of us are unaware of is the number of laws in place at this very time that could affect you and me even though we may think we’re creative people and not involved in these things. But the truth is, it does affect us, only we may not know it yet. So, what do we do? We be smart and we become aware of these laws so that our creativity and endeavors in academics and professional fields are enhanced, protected, and legally compliant. No one wants to be hit with a lawsuit because they didn’t know what they were doing, right? So, we keep our eyes and ears open and question things that seem askew to us so we can get a better understanding and awareness about it.

For us, the better we understand something, the more it will benefit us when it comes to making the right decision regarding it. As for the EMS legal requirements, it is important that you understand them to identify them and your compliance obligations. That means using knowledge and judgment, experience, and discretion in identifying and clarifying what is expected from you, what you should do, and how to do it. For example, when it comes to creative projects of any kind such as publications, photography, videography, journalism, artwork, etc. you have to recognize that there are legal requirements and issues regarding those endeavors. These legal matters can affect the work you’re doing. If you’re not aware of them, your entire project may not only be illegally compliant but it could even be illegal or fraudulent in itself.

When we think of these things we often think of EMS legal issues such as licensing, permits, non-disclosure agreements, disclaimers, or terms and conditions. These fields and elements are very well-known so we tend to recognize them fairly easily. But there are also lots of legally relevant matters out there that are less obvious. Some of you may not realize how many there actually are and that every single detail must be accounted for to protect yourself and your work from being lost and exploited.

And if you are reading this wondering what I’m talking about or thinking it doesn’t apply to you, I suggest you should think again. Because these are all things that many UGM students in their passion projects face and you may have come across in your own projects, even if currently you don’t recall the details of those laws and how they affected your project at that time. And if you don’t make an effort to find out what you don’t know, then it can certainly become a problem down the road later on. The old adage, “it’s better to be safe than sorry,” rings true for the legal aspects too. You can take an extra step and learn about and educate yourself regarding this information and it will benefit you tremendously.

For more information on legal compliance in creative fields, you can visit Wikipedia on Copyright.