Taylor Marie

Legal Advisor

FORMS DESIGNS • Full time

Dec 2011 - Oct 2021 • 9 yrs 10 mos

Serving as Legal Advisor to FORMS DESIGNS, I concentrated on the legal framework surrounding creative production and the commercialization of design work. The position called for balancing client expectations with the company’s need to retain control over valuable concepts, methods, and original creative assets. Before significant assignments moved into production, I examined proposals and project specifications to determine how rights would be divided between the parties. Questions involving commissioned work, preexisting materials, derivative designs, exclusivity, reproduction, modification, and future commercial use were addressed before final delivery. I played an active role in negotiations when projects involved agencies, contractors, manufacturers, photographers, creative professionals, or commercial clients. Rather than relying on standardized terms, I tailored legal provisions to the particular engagement, including acceptance procedures, milestone payments, change requests, confidentiality, attribution, and consequences of cancellation. Another dimension of my work concerned protecting designs after they entered the marketplace. I monitored issues involving imitation, unauthorized reproduction, misuse of visual identity, improper disclosure of concepts, and third party infringement. Where necessary, I assessed enforcement options and developed strategies for protecting the company’s ownership interests. This position enabled me to strengthen control over commercially valuable designs, improve payment and approval procedures, clarify the boundaries of client usage rights, and create a more secure legal environment for FORMS DESIGNS to develop, present, and monetize original creative work.