Whether or not you’ve noticed it, entertainment law shapes the movies and music we experience. From copyrights protecting authors to royalty payment disputes, entertainment law is the constant that ensures artists are compensated for their work.
In this article, we’ll explore how entertainment law shapes the movies and music that we love.
Copyright law: Protecting creative works
The entire purpose of copyright law is to provide the creative industries with protection for their work. For instance, books, scripts, lyrics, and even musical compositions (in part or whole). In the UK, the author of the work automatically holds the copyright when first created.
This prevents others from recreating or redistributing another’s work and profiting off it, whether commercially or otherwise. When artists suspect others of breaking copyright, they can attempt mediation with the other party, or take them to court.
Contracts in the entertainment industry
Contracts are a critical part of the entertainment industry, covering everything from ownership and royalties to licencing and distribution. Contracts you might be more aware of include whether the artist or studio owns a song upon its release. For instance, since Taylor Swift owns the copyright to her songs, she has rerecorded her first six studio albums to regain ownership of the master recordings after they were sold.
If you have any urgent questions regarding entertainment contract law, your best option is to contact a full service law firm with practice experience.
Resolving disputes: Legal pathways in entertainment
Unsurprisingly, legal disputes can be common in the entertainment industry. Copyright infringement can be accidental or intentional, but there are also contractual disputes – including contract breaches and royalty/payment disputes.
Depending on the severity of the dispute, there may be several pathways to resolve the issue, including mediation, arbitration, and litigation.
Mediation and arbitration are very similar, as both involve using neutral third parties who facilitate negotiations. The main difference is that in mediation the two conflicting parties come to an agreement, while in arbitration the third party decides. Additionally, you have litigation, which involves pursuing legal action.
The impact of recent legal development on movies and music
The latest change to legislature comes in the UK’s Media Act 2024, and it’s already begun reshaping the landscape. For example, the Act gives public service broadcasters (PBSs) greater flexibility by counting on-demand content towards their obligations, as well as obliging SmartTVs and streaming sticks to feature services like BBC iPlayer and ITVX more prominently.
It’s also made changes to broadcast radio, increasing accessibility through the use of ‘voice-activated smart speakers’ like Amazon’s Echo Dot. Interestingly, the ruling now states that stations are not charged for providing their live service on these devices.