The Ministry of Culture launched a free legal consultation service for artists and cultural professionals on June 1 to help protect their rights and resolve disputes or questions pertaining to art or cultural work. The Ministry hopes that this service will help artists avoid being mired in legal disputes, enabling them to devote more time and effort to creation, administration, agency, and research to foster a flourishing art industry.
In recent years, artists and cultural professionals have frequently been caught up in issues around IP attribution, unfair contracts, and rights infringements. To help artists protect their positions, the Ministry of Culture has commissioned Heading Attorney at Law (和鼎律師事務所) to provide free legal advice to those who work in the arts.
Those who encounter legal issues — deriving from their concepts, creations, publications, contracts, licensing, or anything else related to their work — can book an appointment by phone or fax to receive professional legal advice in-person or by video conference.
Make an appointment by calling the toll-free hotline at 0800-085-075, or downloading an application form from the Ministry of Culture's Chinese website and faxing the completed form to 02-2708-6165. Consultations are booked by the hour, and all those working in the arts are welcome to apply.
Starting this June, the Ministry will also be holding a series of seminars and consultations relating to legal issues commonly faced by artists and cultural professionals. Those interested, whether working in the arts or not, can register at http://www.taerc.org.tw/career-hub.