1. What is an idea?
2. Are there any legal issues I should be aware of when submitting an idea to OpenAd.net?
3. What kind of ideas can I sell on OpenAd.net?
4. How do I sell an idea on OpenAd.net?
5. What are the main differences between submitting an idea to the gallery and submitting an idea to a pitch?
What is an idea?
Ideas on OpenAd.net can come in a variety of forms and in various stages of development. The site contains ideas that are ready for production as they are (scripted and storyboarded TV ads for example), as well as ideas at an earlier stage of development, such as a series of sketches for a newspaper ad campaign.
Ideas do nevertheless have to meet a certain level of quality in order to be considered for display on OpenAd.net. Every idea undergoes an evaluation process prior to being placed on the site. We will contact creatives to suggest revisions if these are thought to be necessary.
^ topAre there any legal issues I should be aware of when submitting an idea to OpenAd.net?
As all creatives know, copyright is a complex area of law. A number of legal agreements govern how business is done on OpenAd.net. These are covered in more detail in the Legal section of this site.
As far as ideas are concerned, there are two very important things that creatives must bear in mind when submitting an idea to OpenAd.net:
- that all ideas submitted to the Gallery must be unbranded (i.e. contain no trademarks or brandnames)
- that all copyrighted elements within an idea, whether destined for the gallery or a pitch, must belong to the person submitting the idea.
When a buyer licenses an idea from OpenAd.net, they are licensing only the concept – that is, the author's presentation and combination of the elements of the idea – rather than the elements themselves. Those elements (photography, music, illustrations, layout, etc) must be licensed separately by the buyer and are not covered by the licence fee paid by the buyer to the author.
Here are two examples to illustrate this:
- An author uses a photograph from the Corbis photostock library (which they are entitled to do free of charge under OpenAd.net's agreement with Corbis) as part of a print ad idea, and a buyer decides to license and produce that idea. The buyer must purchase that photograph from Corbis before any further production using that photograph can take place.
- An author owns the copyright to a piece of music used in a radio ad idea (i.e. he composed it himself, or purchased it) that is licensed by a buyer. The licence fee paid by the buyer does not include any further licence fee for that piece of music; this must be negotiated separately. As buyers and creatives are aware, music copyright is a particularly complex area of law. No music that is not fully owned by an author may form part of any idea submitted to OpenAd.net. Authors may, of course, suggest a piece of music to accompany their idea, but they may not upload the music itself. If the buyer decides to follow the author's suggestion, they will have to license the music in question separately.
If you are in any doubt about the copyright status of any part of your idea, please contact info@openad.net.
^ topWhat kind of ideas can I sell on OpenAd.net?
Any previously unpublished advertising, design, marketing or communications ideas. Your idea can consist of a single item, such as a print or TV ad, or a campaign that features several different elements. You can submit ideas using the following elements:
- TV ad
- Print ad
- Radio ad
- Creative use of media
- Corporate identity
- Print material
- Packaging
- Industrial design
- Web design
- Direct mail
- Events
- Exhibitions and fairs
- Point of purchase
How do I sell an idea on OpenAd.net?
Once you have registered and opened a seller's account, and once we have received two signed copies of the Assignment, you are free to submit as many ideas as you like for sale on OpenAd.net. There are two ways in which ideas are presented for sale on the site.
the Gallery is the main sales gallery on OpenAd.net. It contains 14 idea (product/service) categories:
- Beverages & Tobacco
- Cars & Vehicles
- Clothing & Fashion Accessories
- Consumer Services
- Food
- Corporate Image & B2B
- Financial & Insurance
- Household Care
- Information Technology
- Media, Entertainment & Broadcasting
- Personal Care
- Public Awareness
- Restaurants, Bars & Retail
- Transport, Travel & Leisure
After registering with OpenAd.net, buyers are asked to select a membership package and indicate which categories they wish to have access to. Buyers may only look for ideas in those categories, but may add new categories at any time.
When you create an idea, you will be asked to define its category. Even if you feel your idea would fit more than one category, choose the one that fits it best. Your idea will automatically be assigned to all relevant categories during the OpenAd.net selection process.
With OpenPitch, Members post a creative brief online, set a deadline and wait for the ideas to be pitched to them directly by creatives. Members frequently offer cash prizes for the best ideas. As a registered OpenAd.net seller, you can enter ideas in response to any of the open pitches.
^ topWhat are the main differences between submitting an idea to the gallery and submitting an idea to a pitch?
Ideas submitted to the Gallery must not carry any brandnames, trademarks or other copyrighted material (logos or visual representations of actual branded products, positioning statements, etc). They are ideas for generic products or services. The decision concerning which elements to use in a gallery idea (TV ad, web design, packaging, etc) is left solely to the author.
Ideas submitted in response to a pitch are different. The elements to be used in the idea are usually predefined in the brief, and the pitch holder may require their brandnames or trademarks to form part of the ideas submitted.
The process of uploading ideas to the gallery does not differ greatly from the process of uploading ideas in response to a pitch. However, certain elements (such as price and territory of use of an idea) will be pre-determined in the brief.
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