Entertainment Legal Questions

This is definitely something I think I would be able to speak with you about.  I spent a number of years working in professional theater as well as working in talent management and entertainment law.  Please feel free to reach out to my office for further information and assistance. ... Read More

Hi Joshua, InitiaIly, you should have an entity forms for it. Otherwise, it depends on what type of adult entertainment company you want to start. Many documents could be involved. Some involve: What will be its products and/or services? Will it have employees? Will it create any original content? Will others be involved? I'd need a lot more detail to answer your question.   Paul Menes    ... Read More

I could review the document by the end of the day.  We have more than 40 years of experience in drafting, reviewing, and negotiating these types of contracts.  Member of the California and Nevada Bar Associations and their Entertainment committees.  Minimum fee is $95, but could be higher depending on the length of the contract. My name is Marc Risman.  My contact information is marcrisman@calneva-law.com and (702) 388-8100.  We can communicate about the difference between a manager and an agent and if this agency/person is right for you.  Please be prepared to inform me about the background of this person/agency and what licenses they hold.... Read More

In general for copyright you need licenses for the use of music or the use of other's work. If you have guest, you may want to have a release signed by them. Finally, in regard to trademarks if you already use a logo or symbol you may have common law trademark rights already. However, the best practice is to register and conduct a clearance search. ... Read More

Hello Chad. I'm sorry to hear of the problems that you're having. You are in Maryland according to the geographical location that was selected here. If you do plan to file suit it may be and I emphasize maybe that you may need to retain counsel in the state that the defendant resides because if you file suit, that the Jurisdiction of the court will lie where the defendant resides or where the contract was to be performed. So in what state does the defendant live, and what state was the contract to be performed?... Read More

I am not sure what you are asking. If you want to create porn as a business, there are many laws to follow. Before you begin, you should consult with a lawyer or with several types of lawyers. You should also keep at least one lawyer on hand or on retainer the entire time and consult with her or him often. Zoning is one of the laws. Adult entertainment is another field of law, and involves such things as practical health rules, particularly in Los Angeles County, where condom use is required. There are also federal laws that require record keeping. There are also age laws. You also need to understand what constitutes obscenity versus what is pornography. You also need to understand laws about how you must distribute your porn to be certain it is never seen by anyone under age 18. If you are hiring people, you need to follow regular employment law and also employment law for the adult entertainment industry. Most likely you will be hiring people who are freelance or self-employed. You will most likely do that through a third party film company that issues paychecks to film casts and crews. Your own entity can be a production company or it can be a series of production companies. Many film companies make a new production company for each film. As you can see, it is not a matter of which documents you need. You need to know and understand a whole body of laws from different fields of law, including all those already listed and also copyright and trademark. There are no shortcuts. You need to invest in good legal help before you begin and all while running such a business. You also need people who actually know how to do lighting, camera, editing, audio and directing specifically for porn. You will also need at least one good bodyguard.... Read More

You don't need a sponsor for a tourist visa. Very few require that. Just go to the US consulate in Zimbabwe and apply for a tourist visa. You will have to show evidence that you have sufficient ties to your country that would incentivize your return home. That includes a job, real estate you own, family members etc. You also need to show why you're traveling here , how long you will stay and proof that you have sufficient resources. Don't say you plan to work or to even baby sit your brothers children. ( if any). USCIS will deny you. ... Read More

You do not need a specific license to become a booking agent. You need conections, venues and artists.  You also need an experienced contract attorney, such as myself. Your question reads a little vaguely however.  You should have a set business plan worked out. Please feel free to contact us if we can assist with the drafting, negotiating or litigating of contracts for your enterprise. 203.870.6700.... Read More

Dear Mr. Epps,   Thank you for your question.  The answer is it could be an issue moving forward.  The actor whom you want to work with could be under contract.  That being said, SAG-AFTRA has recently changed some of its ruls as to independent films.  The issue that you're going to have is that the actor's manager won't sign off on the release.  There are restrictions on obtaining talent given the current state of the law and that could present a barrier for the actor being willing to work on the project.  What exact role would you want this person to play, producer or actor who is being called a producer.  You're welcome to respond confidentially.... Read More

While it's tough to say at this point, your son and the producer may have a copyright infringement claim assuming the youtube video was viewed by man. Problem is that it doesn't sound like your son registered the music with the US government so it will make it more difficult to prove infringement and get the statutory damages that make a federal copyrigtht infringement claim worthwhile.  You might want to consider non-profit orgaizations that help new musicians in these types of situations. -Russo Law LLCwww.russolaw-llc.com... Read More

Do you remember if you signed something when you did the recordings? If so, you should read through the papers to see if you sold the rights to the music your recorded. If you have the rights to the music, you could start with a cease and desist letter, but you would likely have to sue him to make him stop selling your music and using your pictures.... Read More

The right of publicity is the issue you must contend with.  You can use the famous person's name in the title if and only if you do not imply endorsement or approval of your book by the famous person.  You should have a preface in the book that says clearly and unmistakably that the tribute and the book are not authorized by the famous person. You should give credit by name to all your sources for material in the book. To be sure and before you complete the book, you should consult with a lawyer experienced in the right of publicity.... Read More

The type of lawyer you need depends on the matter. As a musician, if you are composing music, then you will need legal advice regarding copyright, licensing and possibly trademark. Even if you are performing other people's work, you need to understand what licenses you need to perform and what rights you have in the performance. If you are making music videos, then you need to have the proper releases/licenses.  Regardless, you should have a lawyer look over anything that purports to deal with rights, royalties, fees or other contractual matters.... Read More

If you videotaped it by yourself for yourself, and not as part of a job or as a work for hire, you most likely own the Copyright to the video itself. If the video was made as part of a job or for a client, then that employer most likely owns the Copyright on the video itself. The second issue is whether you would have the legal right to use the images of the people in the video. Was there a written permission given by them back in 2007, and if so, what did it say? Did it sign over rights for any use in perpetuity? If yes, then you are probably okay to proceed. If there were no permissions given or if the permissions given did not give use of the video in any manner for all time, then you are probably not okay to use it. In that instance, you can do several things. First, you can try to locate the people and ask their permission. If you knew who the people were back in 2007, they are still the same people now. Get a solid written contract if you can find any of the people and if they will sign. Second, you can blur the faces to make the people unrecognizable. However, if a person's body, movement or clothing make them recognizable, they might still have a claim. Another thing to consider is what was the purpose for which you made the video back in 2007. Was it for a local news outlet or cable show? If so, you can probably use it. Were the people aware of being on video and in agreement with it, back then? If so, you can probably use it. A lot has to do with the content of the video. If the purpose of the content is to show dance styles of 2007, that is rather safe. If the purpose of using the video is to ridicule or demean the dancers, that opens you to more likely lawsuits. You really should consult with a lawyer about your particular situation and have a lawyer write up any releases. A media lawyer could tell you a whole lot just by looking at the video and asking you some questions about your project. Whatever money you spend now on a lawyer will be worth it in the long run because if you have dubious material in your documentary, you may find that you cannot get Errors and Omissions insurance and cannot get distribution.... Read More

It looks like you have partly defined one of the Exceptions that are written into the Internet Gambling law in 31 U.S. Code ? 5362 Definitions that defines Bet or Wager. Bet or Wager does not include participation in any game or contest in which participants do not stake or risk anything of value other than personal efforts of the participants in playing the game or contest or obtaining access to the Internet; or points or credits that the sponsor of the game or contest provides to participants free of charge and that can be used or redeemed only for participation in games or contests offered by the sponsor. The law also exempts fantasy sports games, but with very specific limitations. The difference between this exception in the law and your proposed game is that your game includes the players eventually cashing out for real money. The law seems to say that the only thing that can be won is the right to play more of the games offered by that sponsor. You may find it is legally easier and financially just as rewarding to design games that do not involve anything that resembles gambling. It seems at least half of Americans are addicted to video games and this number will likely increase as more people have their own screens at ever younger ages. There is a huge market out there for good games.... Read More

This is a complex question and before you file a lawsuit, you need to realize that. In most of the U.S., participating in online gambling is illegal. Your financial loss that you hope to recoup in a lawsuit would come from your participation, which, in most instances, would be illegal. This would be similar to suing because you were ripped off by a drug dealer or prostitute. The Courts do not entertain such complaints. You might consider filing a criminal complaint with the FBI online or with the Federal Trade Commission, but there, too, you might risk getting yourself in trouble. If you are certain the online casino is operating legally and that your participation is legal, then you could file a criminal complaint with less danger to yourself. However, filing a lawsuit, which is civil and is conducted by you and at your expense, could be risky. Running a lawsuit costs a great deal of money. The least amount you could expect such a lawsuit to cost is $100,000. You open yourself up to defenses and counterclaims, in which you could well end out owing money to the casino. In addition, most gambling operations are run by unsavory sorts of people, and coming up against them could be very dangerous. Then there is the matter of evidence. To prove that the casino or software is operating improperly, you would need to prove this with admissible evidence presented by an expert witness. You cannot show this by committing a crime, such as hacking into the software or website. This is where a criminal complaint is likely to be much more effective, since the government uses all sorts of sketchy means to prove crimes. However, you won't make any money by filing a criminal complaint, as you might in a lawsuit. Then there is the matter of an online casino cheating. All casino gambling, online or in person, is a system of getting players to part with their money in exchange for the adrenaline and endorphins that person gets from engaging in a risky activity. No one ever wins money by gambling, not in the long run. The occasional wins that are allowed by the casino are intended to help induce the feeling or risk, anxiety, and rush of those chemicals into the body of the gambler. In this context, it is hard to see what would be considered cheating. Of course, the online gambling software is going to be set up to mimic a casino experience, where the user is led to compulsively keep playing on the idea that she or he is about to win big. If you think the software is rigged, well, of course it is. If you think it is rigged beyond what could possibly be legal, well, online gambling is illegal in most parts of the U.S. If you know of some intentional deception in the software, and you want to report it to authorities, please do, but do it in a securely anonymous way or do it with a lawyer who thinks they can keep you from being arrested for gambling or hacking. If you want to file a lawsuit, do it with a lawyer who understands gambling laws and hire a large bodyguard to follow you around. In sum, if you file a lawsuit, it will cost you a lot of money, you will probably be countersued and risk losing more money, and a large man named Vic will start hanging around outside your gym. If you file a criminal complaint, you are likely to be charged with crimes by the very people you think are helping you. If you are hoping to expose the flaws in the software by posting about it online, get legal advice before you do that, since you might be providing evidence of your own unauthorized access. This really is a complex situation and your most basic line should be to prevent getting yourself in trouble.... Read More

That term will be defined in the contract. This is a very slippery area that is still being developed. Among the things to consider- territorial rights, other media, payment for the rights, and your rights to republish/link, etc. Absent examination of the contract, it is impossible to give a specific answer.... Read More