EM Law | Commercial Lawyers in Central London
Entertainment law is a very specialised area.
Our entertainment lawyers work with clients who are performers, writers, publishers, producers, distributors, agents and managers.
From theatre and music to film, television and video games our entertainment lawyers have the knowledge, experience and commercial acumen to help entertainment industry clients with their legal needs.
Music Industry
Our clients in the music industry need advice on artist management agreements, music publishing agreements, record deals, touring and distribution. The record industry has changed dramatically since the days of vinyl, cassette tapes and CDs! Entertainment lawyers need to be agile and tech savvy as new modes of distribution and the monetising of recordings develop.
EM Law’s approach is, first and foremost, commercial. New clients in the music industry will not have the same leverage as established clients and we negotiate so as to get them the best deal whilst always protecting their interests.
We advise our composer clients in relation to their copyright and negotiate publishing or administration deals on their behalf. We also advise in relation to the licensing of their songs into film or TV productions and increasingly video games.
We work with the Performing Right Society (PRS) and overseas collection societies to help ensure that our clients receive royalties they are owed from the use of their songs in TV, film, live performance and streaming.
We work with music industry accountants in relation to royalty audits and in structuring our clients’ business to make it as tax efficient as possible.
The first part of the journey for young artists is often finding a music business manager to develop their career. We advise on and negotiate management contracts for our clients. As with all entertainment industry contracts, this work requires specialised industry knowledge. Our entertainment lawyers negotiate both commercial and legal terms, ensuring the final agreement reflects the personal nature of the relationship.
On the recording side, we act for both new and established artists and companies. We negotiate the all-important record deal and advise on copyright issues and distribution. We advise on membership of collection societies such as Phonographic Performance Ltd (PPL) and Video Performance Ltd (VPL) to help our performing artist and record company clients collect royalties from the public performance of their recordings on TV, in advertisements and through streaming and downloads.
Theatre
Our clients in the theatre world include script writers, actors, producers, directors and impresarios. We advise and negotiate in relation to all theatre industry agreements.
TV and Film
The TV and Film industries have changed dramatically in recent years with the disrupters, such as Amazon and Netflix, changing the models for funding and distribution. EM Law’s TV and Film lawyers advise on and negotiate every type of industry agreement from financing and production to distribution. We advise on the “above the line” agreements for directors, producers, screenwriters, principal actors and composers and “below the line” agreements for technicians and editors. We advise individuals and companies on all contractual and copyright issues.
Video Games
Video games have evolved from simple pastimes for children into a thriving global industry. The array of genres is breathtaking. From “action-adventure” and “role-playing” to “first-person shooters”, “sandbox games”, “strategy” and “stealth”. Each game is like a mini film production, involving multiple forms of intellectual property. Our specialist entertainment lawyers advise on the process, from production to distribution. Agreements are required for animators, writers, actors and composers. There are often brands and trade marks to consider, as well as images of living individuals involving personality rights and even data protection.
From the humble video game, Esports has emerged – where players, either individually or in teams, compete in front of spectators for often substantial financial rewards.
Beyond the usual considerations for video games, Esports introduces additional complexities, including gambling law, employment law and partnership law (as team members may be partners or employees of a manager). Other key areas include competition rules, sponsorships agreements, integrity issues, regulation and governance and potential disputes.
EM Law’s team provides comprehensive advice on all contracts and related legal matters.
