Force majeure is lurking in the shadows of the Hollywood strikes, offering struggling studios a potential lifeline out of debt. But the best attorneys and the strongest contracts are proactive, rather than reactive. Thus, consider the following drafting tips to strengthen your force majeure language now, in the calm before the next storm.
This year's update from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service for O-1B visa petitions has knock-on effects for the movie and TV industries. The update has clarified the correct standard of adjudication for an individual with both elements of an O-1B artist and O-1B motion-picture-and-television-industry (MPTV) classification, meaning situations where a foreign national will be working in the U.S. as an artist, but some of their work will be in MPTV.
Termination is not automatic. It may be effected only through affirmative action on the part of the author or his or her statutory successors, who must serve an advance notice, signed by or on behalf of all of those entitled to terminate the grant, on the current copyright owner within specified time limits and under specified conditions.
A look at moves among attorneys, law firms, companies and other players in entertainment law.
Notable court filings in entertainment law.
Summary Judgment Denied Defendant in Declaratory Action by Producer of To Kill a Mockingbird Broadway Play Seeking Amateur Theatrical Rights
Structuring finances for independent film productions isn't for the faint of heart, especially where there are multiple entities formed in different states involved in the productions; loans involving different entity members; and efforts on tax returns to deduct net operating losses (NOLs).
The litigation warfront over the use of entertainment content in artificial intelligence software is rapidly escalating.
Most entertainment industry organizations have by now heard the warning bells of risks that come with the use of artificial intelligence technology, from data privacy and cybersecurity threats to potential copyright infringement and discrimination claims. In face of the recent spike in AI-related litigation, such risks could soon prove costly, leaving one last barrier of defense for entertainment companies that use AI: insurance.
Internet celebrities with big social-media followings are often approached for advertising and marketing deals, and the money flowing from these third-party arrangements can be in the millions. But the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) moved to update the guidelines for those who profit from such arrangements, and lawyers are saying the new rules involve big but unsurprising changes.
