Law in the Limelight

18/11/2021

Just because you have an idea for a film, doesn't mean you own the copyright to it. And just because you write a script, doesn't mean you have exclusive dominion over every tiny detail in the script. Copyright case law dating back to the 1920s has shaped the parameters of what a scriptwriter can and cannot protect. In this episode, we get into the specifics of what makes a character protectable, and the importance of the "expression" element of copyright protection.
https://youtu.be/MmrZiqMq2kE

17/11/2021

A little over a week ago, the world was rocked by news of multiple deaths and hundreds of injuries at Travis Scott's annual concert/festival, Astroworld, in Houston, TX. While there are still many details unfolding, preliminary reports indicate that over a dozen lawsuits have been filed against Scott, Live Nation, and others who were involved in the production of the event. There may also be criminal and other investigations ongoing. In a very early attempt at analysis, the Law in the Limelight team takes this opportunity to talk about what kinds of liability the producers might be facing, recap similar events that have occurred over the years, and discuss why this kind of situation highlights the need for artists and performers to have business entities.

Do you have questions about setting up an LLC or a corporation? Contact the LIL team today at [email protected].
Find more information about Wynton Yates, Maria Jose Rivera, Esq., Peter J. Speroni, Esq., and Max Hass, Attorney at Law at http://www.parlatorelawgroup.com

https://youtu.be/ypY_VSmC93g

A little over a week ago, the world was rocked by news of multiple deaths and hundreds of injuries at Travis Scott's annual concert/festival, Astroworld, in ...

11/11/2021

Between pre-existing copyrighted content (music, TV shows that characters watch in the background, books they're reading on-screen), trademark-protected products, and the privacy rights of people who appear on camera, there are a LOT of things that a producer needs to clear from third-party rights owners before they'll be legally ready to release a new film. This is true whether you're woking in narrative or documentary. In this episode, we're joined by our fellow PLG entertainment attorney based in Miami, Maria Jose Rivera, to discuss these clearance issues that a screenwriter and/or producer needs to be thinking about as they get ready to make a film.
https://youtu.be/IeE5ek612Dg

09/11/2021

The film world was rocked a few weeks ago when the news broke that Alec Baldwin had shot - and killed - the cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, for the film "RUST" in the New Mexico desert. Since then, reports have come out about various safety concerns, questionable track record of the assistant director, and more. In this episode, we break down what Baldwin's liability could look like from both a criminal and civil standpoint, with the perspective of Parlatore Law Group managing partner and experienced criminal defense attorney Timothy C Parlatore.

https://youtu.be/1yJp4vPox98

Max Hass, Attorney at Law Peter J. Speroni, Esq.
Wynton Yates Peter Speroni Max Hass

The film world was rocked a few weeks ago when the news broke that Alec Baldwin had shot - and killed - the cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, for the film "R...

03/11/2021

Fair use is one of the most confusing (and thus misunderstood) areas of copyright law. To help break it down, we bring in Maria Jose Rivera, another Parlatore Law Group Entertainment Attorney, who explains the basics of how fair use works, and what happened in the April 2021 lawsuit between the Andy Warhol Estate and the photographer who composed this plaintive image of Prince.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4LRY4-Lma8

If you have more questions about fair use, or wonder how it might apply to you, get in touch with us at lawinthelimelight@parlatorelawgroup or send us a message here.

27/10/2021

More NFT updates! There have been some big moves from major players in the entertainment space lately - are the music and TV industries finally warming up to the potential that NFTs have to create new and unique revenue streams? Watch this week's episode of Law in the Limelight to learn more!
https://youtu.be/1g5N1omSrVo

20/10/2021

Earlier this month, Marvel Studios received "termination notices" from a number of artists who created some of the company's most iconic characters, including Ironman, Black Widow, and others. Termination of transfer is a relatively "new" concept in U.S. copyright law, as it was only added to the law in the 1976 Copyright Act, and allows *authors* to terminate assignments starting 30 years from the date of original transfer. In response to these terminations, Marvel initiated a number of lawsuits against these artists, arguing that the company is the "author" because the characters were created as works made for hire - if true, this would make the termination notices invalid. In this video, we breakdown the difference between authorship and work-for-hire, and why this distinction is SO important in all areas of creative https://youtu.be/z1zRZCIIDII

If you're an artist, musician, filmmaker, writer, designer, or other creator, work for hire may affect you and your work. Reach out to the Law in the Limelight hosts at [email protected], and check out parlatorelawgroup.com for more information about how Parlatore Law Group can assist you with your legal questions, documents, and/or issues.

29/09/2021

We're back with a new episode that steps away from current events and brings it back to some basics. Each of us individually gets a TON of questions about copyright, and how it works for artists. So Wynton and Max take this opportunity to walk you through copyright basics: authorship, ownership, registration, and duration. This is *definitely* one to save and keep coming back to as a resource!

If you have questions about copyright or need to speak with an attorney to help protect your art, music, designs, writing, etc., don't hesitate to send us an email at [email protected]!



https://youtu.be/rf050Tg_yOM

24/09/2021

You might have seen the headline that Olivia Rodrigo gave up millions in royalties to Hayley Williams and Josh Farro of Paramore, Taylor Swift, and Jack Antonoff. Why did she do this? Tune in to our next to find out!

P.S. Olivia still got to keep millions in royalties too. So don't shed any tears for her. We actually think this was a smart move!

Parlatore Law Group Max Hass, Attorney at Law Peter J. Speroni, Esq. Wynton Yates



https://youtu.be/uaEzzc_6WfQ

22/09/2021

Our next is about a very interesting story from Hollywood: Zendaya and John David Washington, the stars and co-producers of Malcolm & Marie, opted to share equity in the film with each and every crewmember who worked on the film. When the film was later sold to Netflix, everyone - not just the stars - got to bring home a nice bonus. Tune in to learn more about this story and why it's potentially going to set a new trend in independent film production!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAl5tmg7yJQ

Earlier in 2021, Zendaya made headlines when she announced that she and co-star/co-producer John David Washington were sharing equity in their new film "Malc...

22/09/2021

Our newest episode of Parlatore Law Group LLP Presents Law in the Limelight:

***Zendaya Shares Equity With Crew of "Malcolm and Marie".***

Earlier in 2021, Zendaya made headlines when she announced that she and co-star/co-producer John David Washington were sharing equity in their new "Malcolm & Marie" with every single one of their crew members.

One percentage point of equity was given to each crew member, in addition to their regular compensation for working on the film. A few months later, when the film was sold to for $30 million, that 1% translated to a $300,000 bonus for each crew member.

In this "Lime Slice," Max Hass, Attorney at Law, Wynton Yates Esq.,and Peter Speroni and talk about why this is so groundbreaking, and how it might change the way independent/major films are made in the future.

Contact us if you have any questions about film financing, equity, crew deal memos, , or anything else related to business!

https://youtu.be/MAl5tmg7yJQ

Earlier in 2021, Zendaya made headlines when she announced that she and co-star/co-producer John David Washington were sharing equity in their new film "Malc...

15/09/2021

Hurricanes and internet outages might slow us down, but they'll never stop us! We have new Lime Slices coming out this week for your viewing pleasure. First up: De La Soul get their masters back! This made headlines a few weeks ago, so we took a few minutes to unpack this story and explain why it's so important. Check it out on Youtube, and please get in touch if you have any questions about owning - or reclaiming - *your* masters!

Parlatore Law Group: parlatorelawgroup.com
Peter J. Speroni, Esq. Max Hass, Attorney at Law Wynton Yates
https://youtu.be/JjrZbDE_M5M

After a long time waiting, and then a drawn-out legal wrangle with their former label, De La Soul has successfully reclaimed ownership of their copyrights in...

27/08/2021

This week's music-biz headline: a lawsuit that probably never should have been filed. Get our hot takes on today's : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTf_dvIDZAo

Parlatore Law Group
Peter J. Speroni, Esq.
Max Hass, Attorney at Law
Wynton Yates

Spencer Elden was 4 months old when he was photographed by a family friend in 1991 in a pool at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center in Pasadena, Calif.That photo w...

26/08/2021

We have a lot of new content for you! We're slowly shifting to shorter, more digestible episodes we're calling "Lime Slices." First up this week: more NFT updates! Did you hear about the 12-year old kid in the UK who made $160,000 selling his own line of NFTs in only 9 hours?

If you're a creator and you'd like to know how YOU can create and monetize NFTs, get in touch with Parlatore Law Group - Peter, Max, and Wynton from our Entertainment Law team would be happy to help.



Peter J. Speroni, Esq. Max Hass, Attorney at Law Wynton Yates

14/08/2021

Saturday morning talk. Why not?

Three entertainment attorneys discuss the future of NFTs:
Wynton Yates, Esq., Peter J. Speroni, Esq., and Max Hass, Attorney at Law.


(Subscribe on YouTube for more NFT content)






https://youtu.be/1cek3wQP3xI

Let's talk about some of the new updates we've recently seen surrounding the future of NFTs. Our links: https://linktr.ee/lawinthelimelight

10/08/2021

Parlatore Law Group Presents Law in the Limelight's newest episode: Billboard's Highest Paid Musicians for 2020-21.

Tune in as Wynton Yates, Esq., Peter J. Speroni, Esq. and Max Hass, Attorney at Law discuss the musicians who made the list, and the types of revenue streams that were included in the calculation, (streaming, publishing, touring and sales).

Our hosts also discuss the many alternative revenue streams that did not make the list, but may be available to musicians.






https://youtu.be/96FovpBesmE

The Law in the Limelight crew decided to comb through Billboards recently released list of the top 40 highest paid music artists. It's a great chance for us ...

31/07/2021

Breaking news: Scarlett Johansson sued Disney three days ago over the release of . Evidently, her contract called for the film to receive a theatrical-only release first, before the film went to Disney+ for streaming. But Disney had other ideas, and sent the film to streaming anyway. Now, Johansson is suing for breach of contract because she is owed a bonus based on box-office numbers, which, predictably, were very poor in light of the simultaneous release.

Are you a filmmaker with questions about how to handle contingent compensation? Curious about distribution windows and how they affect talent pay? We talk about all of that in our latest news update, which we're now calling . Post your questions and thoughts in the comments!
Wynton Yates Max Hass, Attorney at Law Peter J. Speroni, Esq.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIWgobIHOKc

Scarlett Johansson, star of the latest Marvel movie “Black Widow,” filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against Disney, alleging her contract was br...

29/07/2021

Parlatore Law Group Presents Law in the Limelight's newest episode, featuring one of Billboard's Top Music Lawyers 2021, David L. Hecht.

Hecht represents JaQuel Knight choreographer to the stars and the creator of Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" dance.

Working together, these two secured the very first registration for a stand-alone choreographic work with the U.S. Copyright Office. Previously, only choreography that followed a "narrative" (i.e. ballet) was eligible.

David also represented Alfonso Ribeiro in his efforts to protect the Carlton dance (also known as just "the dance"), and the band Too Many Zooz when their likenesses showed up without authorization in Fortnite.

Max Hass, Attorney at Law , Wynton Yates and Peter J. Speroni, Esq. talk to David about the fascinating intersection of and , the history of legal protection in this space, (of course), and much more.

Tune in to the Law in the Limelight YouTube channel (here: https://lnkd.in/dY3dJfF). SUBSCRIBE!





https://youtu.be/DhUdlgRgKbs

Three entertainment attorneys talk entertainment news & emerging copyright markets. Tune in every Wednesday @ 2pm for new content uploaded across all major p...