Do You Need an Entertainment Lawyer March 18, 2023

From copyright infringements to drawing up contracts, there are a lot of potential legal issues to be dealt with in the entertainment industry. If you work in the industry, an entertainment lawyer can help keep everything above board and protect you should anything happen.

Whether you are an influencer, writer, producer, or anyone else in the industry, find out how an entertainment and influencer lawyer could help you below!

Intellectual Property

You automatically own the creative copyright when working as a creative who produces their own work; books, movies, songs, or any other creative output. In Australia, copyright protection is automatic once the work exists in material form (i.e., recorded on tape, written down in a notebook, or photographed). There is no need for formal registration.

But if you distribute  or collaborate on a work, there is a risk that your intellectual property rights could be breached or infringed upon. Copyright infringement is subject to a qualitative test and not a quantitative test – meaning the quality of what is taken is more important than the amount that is taken. This can be tricky to navigate, and having a experienced entertainment lawyer on your side is crucial in determining whether your rights have been infringed upon.

Contracts

There are a lot of documents and contracts to be dealt with in the entertainment industry. These include talent agreements, distribution deals, brand deals and NDAs, to name a few. If you are signing contracts, an entertainment lawyer looking over everything is essential.

While you may read over a contract and think everything is good to go, an entertainment lawyer will pick up on red flags that may slip past you. Entertainment contracts often use a form of industry shorthand that may be unfamiliar to you. Your lawyer can provide an insider’s insight into your contract, can advise on the terms of the deal, and ensure the terms are as favourable as possible.

Influencer and Social Media Law

Social media has created a new industry with huge opportunities for influencer marketing and content creation. Like other areas of media law, influencer and social media law often revolves around contracts and other agreements. If you’re operating in this space, you may require help from a specialised influencer lawyer, including in relation to:

• Sponsorship and advertising
• Copyright and other intellectual property issues
• Commercial contracting
• Regulation and compliance
• Legal disclaimers
• Consumer and competition law
• Technology and data protection
• Insurance
• Privacy
• Litigation
• Defamation

Because of the rapid changes in influencer and social media law. you’ll need more than legal advice. You will need a lawyer who understands how your business operates and your future plans. It’s the most effective way of developing far-sighted legal strategies and giving advice that will benefit you and your brand in the long term. 

Need an Entertainment Lawyer?

If you need an entertainment lawyer, marshalls+dent+wilmoth lawyers in Melbourne can help. Our experienced team of entertainment lawyers provide practical solutions that help people in the creative industries realise their vision and maximise the commercial potential of their intellectual property.

marshalls+dent+wilmoth’s dedicated entertainment lawyers have worked on some of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed Australian films. We recognise your needs, assess specific priorities and objectives, and develop strategies to meet them. Our hands-on approach to the changing legal environment helps us achieve an outcome that meets all your needs. Get in touch with us today to find out more.