Sharon is a media lawyer specializing in media, communications, and creative agencies contracts, including digital, social media, and PR. She also advises small businesses and start-ups on diverse commercial legal matters. With extensive in-house experience, Sharon has worked for major names in the media industry, giving her a deep understanding of how media and creative businesses operate.
EM Law | Commercial Lawyers in Central London
Media Lawyers
Sharon Playford
Media Law
We are experts in media law
Our media law solicitors help clients operating in the media sector and creative industries with their advertising, marketing and promotions, data protection, technology and IP arrangements. We provide advice for publishers, marketing agencies and PR businesses, advising them on a broad range of media law issues and contracts. Our practice focuses on brand management, marketing, publishing and technology and the legal issues surrounding these areas.
Our media law solicitors can help with the following:
- sponsorship agreements
- media buying agreements
- digital marketing solicitors
- digital content supply arrangements
- licence agreements
- brand protection
- marketing agency arrangements
- production agreements
- advertising law
- data protection advice
Our media law experience
Sharon Playford is our lead media lawyer. Examples of her experience include:
- advising an international group of media companies on a wide range of legal agreements including UK and international media buying agreements, IT procurement agreements, TV production agreements, international affiliate agreements and software licences. Also advising on social media, privacy and data protection matters including in relation to the use of near field technology.
- supporting a creative advertising agency by negotiating client/agency agreements, event management agreements, TV production agreements and advising on advertising compliance, IP issues and experiential marketing and social media campaigns. Providing general media law services as required by the business.
- drafting and negotiating client/agency contracts – dealing with both private sector clients and public sector procurement departments.
- reviewing and advising on public sector standard roster terms and conditions.
- negotiating, vetting and drafting consultancy agreements, supplier terms and conditions, IP assignments, IT agreements (including website and software development, hosting and support services all drafted from a supplier perspective) and drafting precedent agreements.
- providing general advice relating to intellectual property and legal compliance particularly in relation to client deliverables and contractual compliance obligations.
- data protection compliance advice.
- carrying out in-house training sessions to group agencies in relation to risk management, client agreements, current laws awareness and third party intellectual property rights.
- advising a national newspaper (UK) on a wide range of commercial agreements including: media law sponsorship agreements and licensing arrangements (including photo and news content licenses).
- soft intellectual property issues including copyright, trade marks and passing off.
- enforcing intellectual property rights against infringing parties and advising on new and existing law, in particular the law on gambling, data protection, financial services, e-commerce and media law and regulations relating to advertising and sales promotions.
Neil Williamson also supports our media law clients. Examples of his work include:
- drafting and negotiating various agreements with major TV channels and publishers for the design, development and delivery of video player hubs on their websites.
- advising a major PR agency on data protection compliance and drafting all of their data protection policies and notices.
- providing supply of services templates for several digital marketing agencies.
- providing a PR agency with an influencer agreement.