Entertainment Law Lawyers in the USA

It is the job of the entertainment industry to provide the general public with a source of entertainment. Unfortunately, the methods employed to do so are not always received well, and sometimes entertainers and media moguls can be sued for the risks they take when providing entertainment to viewers and listeners throughout the U.S.

The reason that SOPA garnered so much attention was largely due to vague language that seemed to provide the government with a very wide scope of power to shut down websites and block access. While the possibility of restrictions may have looked like censorship to a public used to a laissez-faire approach to internet access, the main targets of SOPA were primarily foreign websites that hosted libraries of pirated content.

Independent film financing and tax credits are linked and play a huge role in making a successful film. Understanding where these credits are and how to obtain them is vital. Dunlap, Grubb & Weaver, experienced entertainment lawyers can help with this. This article lists the credits available in the United States by jurisdiction.

You are a publisher of traditional hard copy content (newspapers, books, graphic novels, magazines, photographs) and your materials are in demand to fill the digital pipeline created by numerous web-based and mobile applications. Or, you are a media agency or corporate brand manager seeking to extend your footprint into the online space. You are eager to have millions of new eyeballs accessing your treasure trove. Your software developers are on board, ready to digitize.

At what point in time is a copyright application considered to be “registered” so that the owner of the copyright can sue for damages under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976? Is it when the copyright holder’s application is received by the Copyright Office (the “application approach”)? Or is it when the Copyright Office issues a certificate of registration (the “registration approach”)?

A recent decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in Penguin Group (USA) Inc. v. American Buddha may make it easier for New York plaintiffs asserting copyright infringement over the Internet to haul infringers into court in New York.

A recent decision by the Southern District of Florida in Forman v. W. Allen Morris clarifies the scope of copyright protection that is available when identical language is protected by a registered copyright in one medium but is then infringed in another. See Forman v. W. Allen Morris, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 67434 (S.D. Fla. July 6, 2010).

Here are some things to think about when you are hiring a literary agent to try and sell your manuscript to book publishers.

Nationwide, tax incentives for films typically take on one of three characteristics: (1) tax rebates, (2) tax credits, or (3) a hybrid of rebates and credits. Utah incorporates some form of each popular tax incentive available. Utah offers a hybrid of tax rebates and credits for qualifying productions. The state currently offers productions 20% maximum on dollars spent in Utah, which they term “dollars left in the state.” The new bill will increase this amount to 25%.

Defending against copyright infringement.