Media & Entertainment

We advise musicians, bands, performers, and music groups on the ownership and protection of their works, recording and distribution agreements, royalty structures, and catalogue management. We handle disputes involving copyright ownership, performers’ rights, and the commercial exploitation of music across digital platforms. We also advise on collective bargaining and negotiations with labels, publishers, and streaming platforms.

We advise film producers, production houses, and content studios on rights acquisition, chain-of-title clearance, production agreements, financing, co-production structures, and distribution. We handle copyright disputes involving film rights, talent agreements, music licensing, and regulatory clearances. For independent production houses, we provide general counsel services covering the full range of legal issues from incorporation to release.

We work with publishers on the legal review of books, manuscripts, and publications, assessing risks around defamation, privacy, obscenity, contempt, and IP infringement before publication. Our publishing practice also covers publishing agreements, author contracts, translation and adaptation rights, digital publishing, and audiobook licensing. We also vet marketing material, advertising campaigns, packaging, and promotional collateral for brand owners, companies, and advertising agencies, reviewing content for compliance with consumer protection, ASCI guidelines, trademark and IP risks, and sector-specific advertising regulations. We advise on the legal boundaries of comparative advertising, helping clients distinguish between legitimate product comparison and actionable product disparagement, and structuring advertising claims to withstand scrutiny.

We advise celebrities, public figures, influencers, and their management teams on the protection and commercialisation of personality rights. We structure endorsement contracts, brand ambassador agreements, and digital exploitation arrangements. We advise on the use of personality rights in advertising, merchandise, NFTs, and metaverse applications, and enforce rights against unauthorised use including deepfakes and AI-generated likenesses.

We advise on the structuring and negotiation of licensing and distribution arrangements across film, music, publishing, and digital content, covering streaming platform agreements, syndication, sub-licensing, territory and format restrictions, exclusivity, minimum guarantees, and revenue-sharing models. For content platforms, we advise on catalogue acquisition, creator agreements, and user-generated content policies.

We advise digital content platforms, streaming services, and online publishers on the regulatory and commercial dimensions of digital distribution, including intermediary liability, content moderation, takedown obligations, digital rights licensing, DRM, and content monetisation across platforms.

We advise gaming companies, fantasy sports platforms, and esports businesses on regulatory compliance, product structuring, and IP issues, including the skill-versus-chance distinction, online gaming taxation, state-level regulations, advertising standards, in-game content licensing, and the integration of blockchain and NFTs in gaming.

We help clients and industry bodies engage with policymakers on frameworks affecting the creative economy, including digital content regulation, intermediary obligations, online gaming regulation, advertising standards, and the intersection of AI with creative rights. We assist in preparing submissions and position papers for regulatory consultations.