Entertainment law is a highly volatile area that is constantly
changing. If you’re in this industry, be smart and have entertainment
savvy legal representation.

Entertainment law is an area that is a mystery to many folks and
they don’t understand what this kind of attorney actually does. Given
the nature of the specialized knowledge these attorneys deal with, it
goes without saying that their expertise will protect your rights.
Entertainment attorneys handle all the legal aspects of film and TV
productions, set up music and film production companies, deal with
talent agreements (including modeling, singers, actors and musicians)
and ride herd on the details for film financing and production issues.

Along with all those issues, entertainment attorneys also draft
producer agreements for both film and music, put together music
licensing agreements and writer option agreements plus tend to
copywrite law and all appropriate registrations. Mixed in with all
these tasks, the attorney will also take care of trademark
applications, distribution matters, draft solid non-disclosure
agreements and confidentiality agreements and take care of prepping
releases.

Hiring a lawyer like this is a guarantee that your legal rights will
be protected in an industry known for its particularly fierce
competition. Unfortunately there are also stories of abuse of power and
control when it comes to the various agreements needed to make it in
the entertainment business. Having an expert entertainment lawyer on
board will also ensure your co-production agreements are handled
correctly, that artist/management agreements protect the artist and
management equally, that artist recording agreements reflect the needs
of the artist and that director agreements accurately spell out what
the director is required to do and receive in return for his or her
services.

Generally speaking a great deal of the work an entertainment lawyer
does is transactional in nature – meaning they draft a lot of
contracts. However this isn’t to say that they don’t handle cases that
need litigation or arbitration. Entertainment law is an eclectic mix of
subcategories and is also referred to as media law. It has a great deal
in common with the field of intellectual property law.

If you were to ask an entertainment lawyer what they do, their
answer would likely be that they deal with such diverse areas of law as
immigration, securities law, agency, bankruptcy law, labor law,
international law, insurance law and employment law. Even these
particular categories have further areas within them that have their
own unique trade unions, rules, case law, production techniques and
negotiation strategies.
For example if you hire an entertainment lawyer to deal with
agreements, contracts and options, etc. in film, they would also need
to be well aware of chain of title, finance; and what screen writers,
film directors, composers, designers and actors do. This would also
include post production, trade union issues and distribution issues,
and motion picture industry negotiations distribution. As you can see,
having a highly skilled entertainment lawyer on board will make all the
difference in the world to how smoothly your operation runs.

Deborah Barron is a Sacramento business lawyer, Sacramento employment lawyer, and Sacramento winery lawyer in California. To learn more, visit Lawbarron.com.