Entertainment Legal Questions

There are many different kinds of lawyers and they all play different roles. The ethical rules provide a basic list of the required attributes of a lawyer. Those include competence, confidentiality, diligence, loyalty, forthrightness, lack of bias, lack of substance abuse, fairness, upholding peoples' dignity. These things will play out differently for different lawyers because there are so many kinds of lawyers dealing with things that are so very different from others.... Read Answer

You would be creating a new arrangement and that may or may not be considered a derivative work. The first point in know if something is a derivative work is whether the original songwriters can sue you for infringing on their copyright. With such a cover song, there is less likelihood that they will sue or demand removal of the song from its sales sources, because the original songwriter will be making money for each copy you make. The second issue is whether you will be able to claim your own copyright on the arrangement. The original songwriters are less likely to want you to do that and more likely to sue to stop you. You need their permission to create a derivative work on which you claim copyright. To get really good advice and legal help, take your song to one of us music lawyers and let us hear just what you are planning. A lawyer can also help you contact the publisher to either get permission or find out the publisher does not want you to change the song in any way. Knowing this in advance can save you a lot of money and trouble.... Read Answer

This is the very kind of work I do and I would be delighted to work with you on this. First, I'd get you on track with formalizing your agreements with the band. Then, we'd probably form an entity that would handle the sales and distribution of the music. And we would work on copyright registration of your beats as well as the completed songs.... Read Answer

You need to get a contract in place for all intellectual property issues, as well as other general contractual issues, such as pay schedule, profit sharing, etc. It can get quite complex since many issues will be at play, such as international law differences in copyright law, thus it would be advisable to seek out a contract attorney with intellectual property experience as soon as possible.... Read Answer

The companies have the right to control their trademarks, which often include their names. Also, a lot of companies like to keep their addresses and contact information closely held so that they are not bothered by people who waste their time or endanger them. If you do make such a directory, please be decent and have your own contact information posted so that if people want their listing deleted, they can easily contact you. Then make deletions easily and quickly.... Read Answer

There are several other questions you should be asking first. For example, is the track title or singers name a registered trademark? If so you would likely need permission, unless your use falls into an exception. Also are the track or singer's name being used in a way that would be derogatory or dilute their value? If so it's likely a violation. In the end you should contact a qualified entertainment attorney who can obtain all the relevant information before giving you an answer.... Read Answer

Of course, you will get in trouble! The possibilities range from a civil suit brought against you by your ex to criminal charges by the police, especially if the photos were taken when she was still a minor. It doesn't matter who took the photo or if she agreed to pose for it; if you posted the photos, you will be liable for any result of that posting. And if you did it intentionally to hurt her or cause her harm, the fines and prison time are going to increase dramatically.... Read Answer

In terms of potential civil penalties, unless you obtained a written release where she released all copyright interest in the photos, you could be liable for copyright infringement. Willful copyright infringement carries with it up to $150,000 in damages per violation plus attorney fees and costs. Additionally, you may be violating her right to privacy unless these were contemplated to be made public in which case you could be liable for actual damages, etc.... Read Answer

It sounds like you should get a local lawyer in your city. From what you are saying, it sounds like the city does not want you to have the construction. It may be that removing the tarp will make it safer and possibly also make it so it is no longer a building, but simply a yard display. Cities regulate such things because they have at times been the scenes of horrific disasters, usually fires. The combination of flammable materials, the use of lighters to light the way, and people possible smoking can all lead to deadly disasters, especially when people are trapped in a space that may be built like a maze. I have seen people build elaborate yard displays and allow people to walk through, but they do not put up any roof.... Read Answer

This really can't be answered without actually looking at the proposed title, and comparing it. Anything that might give a consumer the idea that the whiskey is sponsoring or approving the book is likely to run the risk of receiving a cease-and-desist letter. However, whiskey companies do write nice cease-and-desist letters: see http://www.businessinsider.com/jack-daniels-wrote-what-has-to-be-the-nicest-cease-and-desist-order-of-all-time-2012-7.... Read Answer

Theft and the sale/transfer of stolen items via the Internet is a growing problem. If the game is owned privately, the owner can do as he or she wishes. However, the problem is not your girlfriend receiving stolen goods (assuming she didn't know they were stolen), it's that someone stole the goods to begin with. If a player cannot refuse a gift according to the rules of the game, your girlfriend is only obligated to return the stolen items to the game owner. But the game owner should be going after the thief and seeking recovery from him/her. If the game owner won't discuss this issue with you, contact an attorney to explain the law to him/her.... Read Answer

Depending on the subject matter, yes there can be serious ramifications on passing fiction off as non-fiction. You can lose your job, cause people to make dangerous and even deadly decisions, stir up controversy based on falsehoods or innuendos, cause unnecessary hysteria, et., etc., etc. Cause in point: a number of new parents refused to have their young children innoculated because they were told that a study showed that mercury in the shots caused autism. That report was false. But a huge number of children have been put at risk for avoidable and in some cases deadly illnesses because a piece of fiction was passed off as non-fiction.... Read Answer

No, the Internet is not subject to the same laws and regulations that over-the-air television is. There is a rating system for commercially-released motion pictures but that doesn't necessarily apply to films released on the Internet. And in general films are considered protected speech, no matter how they're released or viewed. It is up to a parent to determine what is appropriate for his or her child to view.... Read Answer

These are not legal terms. If you see such a term in a law, it should also be defined in that law. For example, there are many laws that mention Adult Entertainment businesses, and those laws define what that term means. People call their companies what they want to call them. An entertainment company might be anything from a man who has a juggling and stilt-walking act, all the way to a multinational conglomerate that produces movies, TV shows, live shows, video games, and tours. A production company usually is going to be a company that is involved in some way in producing some sort of entertainment or journalism. That entertainment might be video games, live shows, TV shows, movies, or other forms of entertainment. The term "production company" is also often used as the entity under which an actor, writer, or director develops or produces movies. If you want to find out about a specific company, it is best to do good research on it. ... Read Answer