ENTERTAINMENT MATTERS

As members of the entertainment industry & their lawyers may appreciate, the entertainment field is sometimes jokingly referred to as the land of the handshake-now, paperwork-later deal. Disputes in entertainment matters are wide-ranging, and conflicts and claims often touch upon several areas of law at once. Mediated cases can involve straightforward contract disputes (breach) in talent or production scenarios, but often delve into more potentially complex matters involving copyright ownership, licenses, rights of publicity and privacy, clearances, advertising, idea theft, accounting discrepancies or inaccuracies, taxation, employment and guild (labor union) rules, agency, security interests, finance, and so forth. Intesa Mediation Group concentrates on mediation services for entertainment disputes of the following types (please note these examples are illustrative, and are not exclusive lists):

• Theatrical Film, Television, Commercials & Music Videos: for independent production companies, networks, studios or individuals, matters involving option agreements, chain of title issues, licenses, development deals, distribution agreements, sales agent agreements, above and below the line talent agreements (including but not limited to screenwriters, directors, actors and stuntpersons, producers, editors and casting agents), production and post-production contract issues, product placement deals, allegations of idea theft, and intellectual property issues relating to copyright ownership.
  
  
• Production-related Contracts: disputes arising from contracts for location, facilities, property, extras, catering and crew.
  
  
• Publishing & Print Media: contracts including option agreements for authors' works and other literary deals (including development, creation and marketing of book proposals), contracts relating to ghostwriting for celebrities, modeling & photography contracts, and general copyright issues.
  
  
• Rights of Publicity and Privacy: settlements over enforcement of rights, and deal negotiations over biographies.
  
  
• Confidentiality Agreements: confidentiality clause breaches for high profile talent and public figures.
  
  
• Talent and Management Agencies: issues relating to contract breaches for all types of talent representation; disputes over management fees, percentages, and other compensation.
  
  
• Music: matters including talent agreements for musicians and composers, producer agreements, contracts related to licensing, recording, distribution and merchandising, and general issues relating to copyright.
  
  
• Theater & Stage productions: matters including rental agreements and co-production agreements, and other performance-oriented contract disputes.
  
  
• Visual Arts: matters involving fine arts and issues of display, credit, compensation, and consignment of artworks to art dealers.
  

If you have an entertainment contract matter, please contact us to see how Intesa Mediation Group may be able to help resolve your dispute.