What Is Entertainment Law?

Entertainment Lawyer

Are you facing a court case in the entertainment field? Do you think someone has taken your creative intellectual property? Talk to an entertainment law attorney who can help you navigate this situation. Learn more about entertainment law and how you can protect your creative property below.

Entertainment law is a legal field that involves working with professionals in the entertainment industry. Attorneys in this area help individuals and companies navigate the legal aspects of a creative career. Performers are only some of the people who may need the counsel of an entertainment lawyer. People who work in all areas of media production and content creation for the entertainment industry can benefit from having a legal professional on their side.

It is not necessary to live in New York City or Los Angeles to work with an entertainment lawyer. People can benefit from finding one of these professionals in smaller cities as well. Additionally, entertainment lawyers work with people at all stages of their careers, so even people who are new to the industry can receive the legal advice they need.

Areas an Entertainment Lawyer Can Practice In

You may need an entertainment lawyer in several different areas of the industry:

Music 

People in this industry may need help with their contract negotiations, as well as drafting the talent and producer agreements. Additionally, you may need to make sure you have synchronization rights so you can use a copyrighted piece of music in a production.

Film

Entertainment lawyers can advise on trademark and copyright issues and can help you establish the chain of title for your feature film. You also need to meet union standards for your workers. Additionally, you may need help drafting your option agreements and navigating distribution problems.

Television and Radio

In this area, you have to make sure you have a broadcast license and a mechanical license so you can air different programs and play songs that belong to other artists and production companies. You might also run into copyright issues.

Theater

If you work with stage production, an entertainment lawyer can help you with the rental agreements for your rehearsal and performance venues. Additionally, you may need to draft co-production agreements and negotiate royalty and copyright arrangements with playwrights.

Multimedia

This legal area often involves hammering out the details of software licensing. If you work in video game design, you likely have to negotiate contracts for the animators and voice actors, as well as handle distribution issues. You may also need help navigating information technology laws.

Visual Arts and Design

In this area, you may need to understand who has the copyright for different pieces of art and determine what is fair use. Additionally, you may run into problems with artwork consignment.

Publishing

You may need to negotiate contracts with authors and models. Additionally, an entertainment lawyer can help you if you run into problems with advertising or intellectual property.

Internet

If you publish entertainment content on the internet, you may need to follow trademark and copyright policies. You might encounter problems with privacy laws as well.

Types of Entertainment Law Cases

Within the diverse areas of the entertainment industry, there are a few common situations you may run into.

Employment and Labor Disputes

When you hire someone to work on a project, you have to follow industry work standards. These include the number of hours people can work and safety regulations your company has to meet. Additionally, you have to use fair hiring practices.

Contract Disputes

You may draw up several different types of contracts depending on the length of your project and the roles that people will play. You need to make sure each of these contracts can be enforced if someone does not abide by the terms. Additionally, it helps to include ways to resolve disputes.

Compliance Problems

You may need to follow different regulations depending on which niche of the industry you are involved with. If you work in television or radio, for example, you have to make sure you only control a certain amount of the market. Entertainment lawyers can help you ensure that you always meet your local regulations.

Non-compete Agreements 

You may want many of your staff members and creative artists to sign a non-compete agreement so they cannot work for other companies. You need to make sure these documents lay out reasonable terms or they may not be enforceable.

Intellectual Property Disputes

Sometimes you may realize that another artist or company is using your intellectual property. You might also use someone else’s property without realizing it is copyrighted material. Entertainment lawyers can help you protect your creative material and provide advice concerning the use of other people’s intellectual property.

Litigation

You may not always be able to find a peaceful solution to every dispute. When this happens, you might need to pursue litigation. An entertainment lawyer can handle this process for you and identify different ways to possibly resolve the situation. If a trial is necessary, a legal professional can help you obtain an outcome that is good for you and your production company.

In addition to these situations, entertainment lawyers can help you draft your financial agreements to ensure you get a good deal. They can explain the fine details of contracts so you understand all the terms of the agreements you make. Some professionals may also go over all your legal documents, such as your sponsorship deals and licensing agreements, to make sure the terms are legally valid.

Additionally, these professionals can act as liaisons between you and other companies and artists. Some entertainment lawyers also have experience working in distribution and can provide advice about the legal aspects of distributing your work.

Work With an Experienced Entertainment Lawyer

If you are facing a legal situation in the entertainment industry, you need to work with a qualified entertainment lawyer. The right professional can help you understand your rights and protect your creative intellectual property. Contact an entertainment lawyer near you to get the legal help you need.

Submit a request online or call us today at (866) 345-6784 to get in touch with an experienced lawyer in your area!

About the Author

Aaron is a professional legal writer with a B.S. in English Education from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale. He has written, published, and edited thousands of legal articles for RequestLegalHelp, which has connected over 5 million people to legal help in the United States.

With over five years of experience writing thousands of legal articles for law firms across the U.S. and Canada, Aaron specializes in covering federal, state, and city-level legal issues ranging from auto accidents to wrongful terminations. Contact Aaron at [email protected] for article suggestions, collaborations, or inquiries.

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