A reputable distributor should be willing to accept terms that protect a filmmaker’s interests. Many such provisions do not cost the distributor anything as long as the distributor lives up to the terms of its contract. A provision for interest on late payments, for example, costs the distributor nothing as …
The U.S. Supreme Court has granted a petition for certiorari and agreed to hear an appeal about a copyright dispute concerning the 1980 Oscar-winning boxing film “Raging Bull.” The case was one of eight cases out of more than 2,000 pending appeals that the …
The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has finally proposed, for comment, new Regulations for Crowdfunding to implement the requirements of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (“JOBS Act”), enacted on April 5, 2012. More than one year overdue, the SEC has released a 585-page comprehensive report with its proposed rules …
The right of publicity is the right of individuals to control the use of their name and likeness in a commercial setting. You cannot place an image of another person on your brand of pickles without their permission. Celebrities can earn large fees from this right by endorsing products. Some …
Legal issues may be the most remote worry that keeps independent filmmakers up at night. There are often more tangible and immediate stresses: finding financing, getting film festival screenings, building positive publicity and momentum for a film, and securing distribution arrangements. For filmmakers who have a few minutes to polish …
As an entertainment attorney, I am often called upon to assist writers who have gotten themselves into trouble because they do not understand how their work may infringe the rights of others. A writer who learns the fine points of the law through trial and error is receiving …
Veteran Entertainment Attorney Mark Litwak gives valuable legal insight for every filmmaker in a new series of legal videos on IFP’s YouTube Channel and we wanted to share the a few videos to get onto your radar. Litwak has a no nonsense approach to important legal subjects such …
In a suit filed recently in federal court in Chicago[1], a top Sherlock Holmes scholar alleged that many licensing fees paid to the Arthur Conan Doyle estate have been unnecessary, since the main characters and elements of their story derive from materials in the public domain. The suit was brought …