7.2 Ethical and legal constraints in the creative media sectors.

Constraint is a limitation or a restriction on something to prevent something else from happening. In the media industry there are many limitations, laws and restrictions. some regulations aren't legal in that they aren't provided by law.

The legislation refers to the laws in which help to protect employers and employees from unsafe working conditions and unhealthy situations. This means that all health and safety regulations be properly assessed and considered as well employee's rights and equal opportunities.

Employees rights 

Employees rights at work depend on 

• statuary rights
• contract of employment

Statuary rights are legal rights based on laws passed by parliament. nearly all workers, regardless of the number of hours pr week they work, have certain legal rights. There are some workers who are not entitled to certain statuary rights. The contract of employment is the agreement or what has been verbally agreed between the two of them. In addition, the contract of employment will also include 'custom and practise' agreements. These are how things are usually done in the workplace, for example, if the employer always gives the employees a days holiday in august. Even though this is not mentioned in the written contract this will form part of the contract of employment as it is the usual practise.

Employees liability insurance 

Employers are responsible for the health and safety of their employees during work hours, this applies in any work place. Employees may be injured at work or may become ill as a result of their work while in during employment. If an employee feels that the employer is responsible then they might try to claim compensation. The employers liability act 1969 ensures that you have at least minimum level of insurance cover against any such claims.

Public Liability

Public liability insurance is important when out filming in public premises because it will pay out in the event that a mistake is made which causes an injury to a member of the public, or damages their property. 

Copyright and Trademarks

Copyright applies to work that is recorded in some way; rights such as literary, artistic, musical and dramatic work as well as films, sound recordings and typographical arrangements. it gives the author specific rights in relation to work, prohibits unauthorised actions and allows the author to take legal action against instances of infringements or plagiarism.

Trademarks are registered at a national or territory level with an appointed government body and may take anywhere between 6 and 18 months to be processed.