From music to film to theatre, celebrities can be a challenge in an entertainment law practice. Attorney and co-host Bob Ambrogi welcomes Gordon Firemark, an entertainment and new media lawyer in Los Angeles, to take a look at entertainment litigation and working with a celebrity. Bob & Gordon look at the various legal cases in Hollywood and chat about Gordon’s new e-book, The Podcast, Blog & New Media Producer’s Legal Survival Guide.
I’m very pleased to have been invited to appear on the prestigious Lawyer 2 Lawyer podcast on the Legal Talk Network with host Robert Ambrogi. The episode, to be recoded on October 28th, will focus on entertainment law, particularly some of the challenges in representing celebrity clients. I’m honored and excited to be joining Bob…
I am very pleased to announce the forthcoming release of two books I’ve written. The Podcast, Blog & New Media Producer’s Legal Survival Guide The Podcast, Blog & New Media Producer’s Legal Field Guide will be released and launched at the Blogworld New Media Expo in Las Vegas on October 15th, 2010. This book, (first available…
Q: I have written and produced a webseries and I would like to submit it to different companies PR and Advertising departments to see if I could possibly sell the idea. How do I protect my footage and idea, and still try to push this webseries to as many companies as possible. A: Protecting your…
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 links below. HOW DOES A MUSICAL GET FINANCED? Thinking about producing yourself? Wondering what makes producers tick? Looking for financing for your…
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 client, as it helps them climb the showbiz food chain. In fact, many…
In this Episode: Follow up on Hot News Viacom loses suit against YouTube. Hurt Locker Suit(s) Idea Theft Tribute Band Names Celebrity Rights of publicity GET CLE CREDIT for this episode. Go to Entertainment Law Update podcast page
I’ve recently been grappling with a question of whether a theater director’s efforts to stage a play or musical can be protected by copyright. Now, at first blush, this might seem a simple issue, but it’s actually rather complex. The parameters established by copyright law itself, are inconsistent with the custom and practice in the…
In this Episode: Ethics and the non-practicing attorney… a long tail Zorro draws its sword against M&M candies “Free Scooter!” cries Justin Bieber. Dramatic vs. Non-Dramatic rights in musical works Ride-along producer : Ride-along defendant? Bryant v. Media Right, Orchard Arista v. Lime Group Hot News Misappropriation GET CLE CREDIT for this episode.
Q: I work in educational theater. Every year we revisit the same topic: Filming performances. I keep telling the director and others that it is simply not legal to record a performance. The response I always hear is that they never sell the film. They are only making an “archival copy” which is given to…