Entertainment • Intellectual Property • New Media • Business Law
Professional sports have always sold spectacle, competition, and elite performance. While the athletes are the center of the show, the stars the fans cheer for and the brands pay millions to align with, their representatives are negotiating to build the agreements that protect and maximize
The influencer economy has become one of the most commercially significant sectors of the entertainment industry and perhaps one of the most legally underserved. Creators are no longer just posting content online; they are building media companies, licensing intellectual property, negotiating advertising campaigns, managing brand
Fashion thrives at the intersection of creativity and commerce, and inevitably, of law and risk. While one may argue that the industry sells aspiration, exclusivity, and identity, every runway launch, influencer campaign, and retail rollout brings intellectual property concerns, contractual risks, regulatory scrutiny, and brand-protection
As artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly reshapes the entertainment industry, much of the public conversation has focused on copyright law, ownership disputes, trademark, and whether AI-generated works qualify for intellectual property protection. Producers, studios, and digital media companies have become increasingly focused on protecting their development materials, scripts,
As anyone involved in the creative process knows, few moments are more gratifying than when a project finally breaks out of development limbo and hits greenlight. Today, that excitement is increasingly followed by a practical question: how can generative artificial intelligence (AI) be used in
There is no denying that artificial intelligence (AI) has permanently transformed almost every industry, including our creative landscape. From everyday users experimenting with generative tools to writers brainstorming scripts, musicians testing AI-generated audio platforms, filmmakers utilizing AI-assisted editing software, and digital artists creating entire visual
You were exited to start your business with a business associate(s) or a friend(s). The last thing you thought about was a separation. You probably considered a long-lasting future not noting that circumstances, people, relationships, and businesses change or that you may realize there is
Succinctly described, a release is a legal document that is executed by the releasing party terminating legal liability by the released party. So ideally, the release gives the filmmaker the rights to film another person, location, or someone else’s materials and the right to use that footage in their project, to edit and exploit
Let’s begin with more questions. How does one copyright a title? How does one trademark it? Usually neither copyright nor trademark law protect movie or television project titles. The Copyright Act protects “original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression, now known
Chances are, if you have been in the business of making content, you have already heard of an “option-purchase agreement” and as a writer or as a producer, you may even have negotiated one. Generally, you can buy the copyright to intellectual property or literary
A non-profit may be a tax-exempt organization (i.e. a business that has been granted tax-exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service and/or the applicable state) that serves the public interest by providing goods and/or services without pursuing profits for private use. So a non-profit corporation
Sometimes, the difference between the survival or the ruin of your business depends on keeping certain information relating to your work confidential. Common in many business settings, a non-disclosure agreement, also referred to as a confidentiality agreement or an NDA, is a legally enforceable agreement
While running an enduring and successful business there are many legal issues that will arise which are hard to predict or to know in advance. This will require you to form a relationship with an attorney that you feel comfortable with. Below, we discuss a
Sometimes, I hear my clients complain: “I’m launching a new venture or I have a new movie I want to make but I want to have all funds available for getting the project off the ground. Why should I incur the additional expenses of forming
When you are selling a t-shirt, making your film, T.V. project, website, digital content, writing your script or designing a mug you may want to use a piece of content or work that someone else created that is not in the public domain. Do you
As you may have already seen in your entertainment industry agreements, for the services rendered, talent usually can expect to receive an advance or a fixed flat fee that is a guaranteed and, at times, can also receive contingent compensation. The “fixed fee” is the
Hearing the excitement in my clients’ voices: “Finally, I finished my script”, or “I just made up my mind on my new logo”, or “I have a movie I just shot”, or “I have a brand new design for the product line I’m selling” or
You just came up with a great idea for a project or a business idea with a friend and you both can’t wait to get started on it. All you can talk about is the nuts and bolts of fleshing out the idea, but isn’t