Chain of title is a term commonly used to refer to a series of documents which establish that you own all the necessary rights (including copyright) to allow you to develop, produce and market your project. Documents which might typically form the chain of title for a project include:

Writer's Agreements;
Script Editor's Agreements;
Option and Assignment Agreements (if you are basing the script for your project on someone else's work, such as a novel);
Producer's Agreements; and
Director's Agreements.

You will need to establish for Film Victoria, at each relevant stage of your project, that you own all necessary rights and have the appropriate chain of title documents. If you are required to provide chain of title documents under your agreement, Film Victoria will be entitled to approve those documents.

A set of exclusive rights regulating the use of a particular expression of an idea or information. At its most general, it restricts "the right to copy" or reproduce an original creation. In most cases, these rights are of limited duration.

Copyright covers only the particular form or manner in which ideas or information have been manifested, the "form of material expression". It is not designed or intended to cover ideas, concepts, facts, styles, or techniques which may be embodied in or represented by the copyright work.

Copyright law can be complex. Visit Arts Law (http://www.artslaw.com.au/) for further information.

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