Author Archives: Gordon Firemark

Entertainment Law Update Podcast Episode 13

In this Episode: Follow Ups:  Justin Bieber; Tenenbaum, Kate Plus 8 Fleeting Expletives JayZ wins A few Fair Use cases Copyrights, Trademark cases Some BIG wins for plaintiffs in profit participation suits. GET CLE CREDIT

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Asked and Answered: Query letters as unsolicited submissions?

Q: As a TV/film screenwriter I've sent short pitches and query letters to several agents. Some have responded with requests to see my work, but other have returned my queries with a "no unsolicited" material letter from the submissions department. I have two ...

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Asked and Answered: Can I register my copyright under a Pseudonym?

Q: What's required to protect the rights to a screenplay written under a pseudonym? A: Good news. You don't have to do anything special to protect the rights. As I always say, however, it's a good idea to register your copyright, ...

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How Musical Theater projects get financed

Starting next Tuesday, I'll be leading a theater financing workshop at the Academy For New Musical Theater. If you're interested, it's not too late to sign up! Just Visit ANMT.org, by clicking the ...

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Asked and Answered: Do I need permission to film a business’ logo or building?

Q: Among a number of scripts and short stories I've written is a short sight gag that I doubt I could get anyone else interested in producing -- basically it would be too short, and the only market I think ...

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Asked and Answered: Do I need to re-register and register my copyright in other countries?

Q: I am a Canadian who wrote a screenplay and registered it for US copyright.  I have been writing query letters and submitting the screenplay to producers around the world---including to a few producers in another country who expressed interest in reading it.  Since ...

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Asked and Answered: Do I need to clear rights for a historical film set in the 1700s?

Q:   I am currently researching a story that occurred in the 1700s in France. I have used a number of different sources to put together a time-line of  the heroine’s life, from which I have plotted out the story. My question ...

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Producer Credit in Lieu of Compensation: Trouble in the making?

It's quite frequent in my practice.  My clients are asked to accept less than their usual fee or "quote" for work.  What's offered in exchange for this important concession?  You guessed it, Producer credit. Well, this is often very attractive to the ...

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Asked and Answered: When are friends and family co-authors?

Q: Writers are encouraged to share their work with friends and family prior to submitting to publishing or film industry professionals. At what point does a family member's or friend's contribution considered sufficient to be considered collaboration? In other words, if a family member ...

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Asked and Answered: What happens to my rights when I change the title?

Q: I've sent my script to an agency and have got response they wanna represent me. The CEO of agency advices to do grammar edit and to change the title of the script. I've registered my rights with original title in WGA and Copyright as well. ...

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