OVERVIEW

We provide a complete range of entertainment law services for the media of television, film, animation, written or literary works, graphic design and photography.

We assist clients in navigating the myriad of issues that can arise from the initial concept for the work all the way through completion.

Below is a sample of the services we provide. If you do not see the specific issue you need assistance with, please use the Email link at the bottom of the page and give a short description of the issue in the title.

COPYRIGHT

The Exclusive rights granted by Copyright are extremely valuable in the entertainment industry. We help our clients maximize these rights. Copyright is secured automatically once the work is created and gives the author exclusive right to reproduce the work, create derivative works, distribute the work to the public, publicly perform the work, and publicly display the work.

Registration

Even though Copyright is secured automatically there are several benefits that the author receives for registering the work with the United States Copyright Office. We assist clients in the registration process to make sure the forms are correctly filled out and all requirements are met to obtain the additional rights for the author.

Transfer of Exclusive Rights

Any or all of these rights can be transferred to others. For example an author can transfer the right to create a motion picture based on a written work (right to create derivative works) and retain the right to publish and reproduce the written work. A transfer of any of the exclusive rights to another for their exclusive use must in writing to be valid. Non-exclusive use transfers do not have to be in writing to be valid but it is highly recommended.

From the author's perspective special care must be taken to make sure that only the rights intended to be given to others are and nothing more. From the party acquiring the rights' perspective special care must be taken to ensure the correct rights are transferred. We work with the client to draft or review an agreement to transfer any or all of the exclusive rights and carefully explain what rights are included and the scope of those rights.

AGENCY AND MANAGEMENT AGREEMENTS

No contract should ever be signed without a complete understanding of what is contained in the contract. We provide a comprehensive review service for all Agency and Management contracts that clearly outlines the term, the compensation for the agent or manager, and all other rights and obligations contained in the agreement.

FREE LANCE CREATIVE WORK

WORK FOR HIRE AGREEMENTS

Clearly define the scope of the project to be completed, the compensation, the payment terms, due date, and most importantly the rights owner of the completed work. We can draft, review, and negotiate these types of agreements for both the free lance creative or the party commissioning the work.

TELEVISION AND FILM PRODUCTION

Producing a television show or film can be a complex task. Our complete productions services include all the contracts and agreements necessary to get the production off the ground. This can include licensing agreements for artwork and music, director contracts, talent agreements and releases, script or screen writing contracts, location releases and permits, post production service agreements, distributions contracts, etc. Our production services also include on-call availability during filming.

FINANCING

Raising capital for a film or television project is considered an investment activity because one party stands to make money solely from the effort of others. These projects require the navigation of both state and federal securities laws. Please see our Securities Page for complete information about our Financing services.