These are not areas that are governed by industry agreements except to the very limited extent mentioned in this brief guide.

Nevertheless, you should remember that your business relationship with contributors of all kinds, however minimal their contribution may be, needs to be recorded in writing, and in a form that is legally enforceable.

You must also remember that presenters, reporters, voice-over artists and other such contributors to your programme — including, even, people you interview for the programme — may generate copyright in any words of their own that they say, and performers’ rights in their rendition of any scripted material (voice-

over commentary, for example). For more detail about these rights, see the Managing the Idea section of these pages.

Even though, 999 times out of 1,000, it may be no more than a tedious formality, you must therefore ensure that you have a written contract which sets out what the contributor is to do, when it is to be (or has been) done, and the fee that you are to pay, and includes an assignment of (or at least a licence to) the rights you need.

With interviewees and similar non-professional contributors, you should cover yourself by getting a signature on an interview clearance, a simple written acknowledgement by the person concerned that, having agreed to be