How Agencies Can Stay Legally Safe with AI

Welcome to episode 169. This episode is going to be timely if you’re currently trying to work out how to navigate using AI legally.

I'm chatting with Sharon Toerek, Founder of Toerek Law (doing business in the agency world as Legal + Creative), where she focuses her national law practice on helping advertising, marketing, communications and creative agencies protect their assets and turn their ideas into revenue. Sharon provides proactive, strategic counsel to communications, marketing, advertising, digital and creative agencies on legal and business issues they face continually in their work, including:

  • agency-client relationships, including agency service contracts

  • agency-freelancer and agency strategic alliance relationship management

  • trademark and copyright protection, enforcement and licensing

  • influencer marketing negotiations and content marketing legal compliance

  • advertising regulatory compliance

  • AI policy and risk management for agencies

In this conversation we cover:

  • why AI is forcing agencies to rethink their business model and how they monetise their expertise

  • what you need to protect when it comes to your own IP

  • why your client contracts need to be much clearer around ownership, licensing and liability.

  • the confidentiality and data privacy risks that come with using AI tools, particularly when your teams and freelancers are using different platforms.

Sharon shares some very practical advice on how agencies can audit their contracts and AI policies, so you can be more proactive with clients rather than waiting until something goes wrong.

As always, she gives such practical, clear advice on what can feel like a very complex and fast-moving topic. One of the things that stood out is: don’t wait too long before thinking about how to protect and monetise your agency’s IP.

Useful links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharontoerek/

Website: https://www.legalandcreative.com

Innovative Agency podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-innovative-agency/id1419747902

Jenny Plant

This article was written by Jenny Plant is the founder of Account Management Skills and a straight-talking coach for agency account managers, focused on practical tools to help you retain client relationships and grow your accounts.

Jenny is also a podcast host, speaker, trainer and workshop facilitator.

https://accountmanagementskills.com/
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