Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Model release and general agreement

I mentioned a couple of legal documents that we are going to try to work through in the next couple of weeks within our group. One is the model release form which essentially says your likeness, image, voice, or things that make you recognizable, may be used by people producing photographs, videos, or audio recordings. If you are part of a public event or something newsworthy, this doesn't apply. But, say, if people wanted to use your likeness to promote a product (maybe a new brand of oat meal) then they would need to get your permission to use your likeness for such purposes.
I expect to create a video of my adventure down in Montserrat. Other team members, including our principal sponsor Buddipole Antennas will also likely make recordings and take videos and photographs during the trip. Team members should agree that this is OK. My expectation for this document is that each of us will give permission to all other team members (and Buddipole Antennas) to use their likeness, voice, or other recognizable artifact for any activity related to the DXpedition whether it be a book, web site, CD, DVD, or product brochure.
The second document is a little more involved as it is the General Agreement of each member as it relates to the DXpedition. If you already own the fine book DXPEDITIONING Behind the Scenes (available here) you can find an example on page 52. I do not yet have a draft of the agreement prepared (something on tap for this weekend) but the general idea is to capture the important financial and liability aspects associated with traveling to a foreign country, using public and chartered transportation, while taking expensive and delicate equipment into an area that has already been destroyed by the still smoldering active volcano. I'm sure there is at least one hazard in there that should be covered by the agreement {grin}.
Most of us are not lawyers, and many of us shy away from anything that sounds like legalese, but this is an important topic. There are thousands of dollars on the line here with risks of injury and death. Better to get everybody to agree upfront than spend the rest of your life in an argument where nobody wins. I am not a lawyer. I am not giving any advice here other than this is an important topic and one you should consider before leading any DXpedition.

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