Expertise

Copyright and Entertainment

Copyright enforcement is more than securing rights for artistic or literary works. It is protection of a critical business component. And, with rapidly evolving media and continuing advances in Internet-related technology, copyright challenges have become more commonplace.

Entertainment law goes hand-in-hand with copyright law. Our strong presence in the cultural sector helps us provide experienced advice to clients in all entertainment media, including film, television, music, art, and books on such matters as rights and agreements.

Team

Our copyright lawyers advise on a wide range of subject matters including film, television, video, music, art, literature, and evolving media including telecommunications and the Internet. Our expertise extends to all aspects of copyright law including clearance, acquisition, and registration to due diligence, agreements, and transactional issues. We also represent a number of industry clients in copyright litigation matters such as anti-counterfeiting enforcement and/or seizure of copyright protected goods.

Our lawyers are regularly representing Canadian copyright collectives before the Copyright Board for the certification of tariffs for the various uses of copyright subject-matter. The decisions of the Board on these complex legal and valuation issues are often brought for judicial review before the Federal Court of Appeal and our team of copyright lawyers is well prepared for the judicial review process.

On the entertainment side, we advise on such day-to-day operations as performers' rights, co-productions and joint ventures to employment issues, insurance, content review for defamation and privacy concerns, and distribution matters.

Services

• Copyright registration assignments and licenses
• Copyright searches
• Usage policies, audits and protection
• Civil and criminal litigation
• Copyright portfolio management Merchandising, assignment and licensing agreements
• Due diligence and valuation of copyright assets for commercial transactions
• Protection, exploitation and distribution rights
• Employment and labour contracts and matters
• Defamation and privacy concerns
• Representations before the Copyright Board