What are the laws governing the entertainment industry?
Entertainment law is an umbrella covering various types of law that impact the entertainment industry. Both the production processes used to create entertainment content as well as the talent working in the entertainment sector are impacted by entertainment law.
Types of law that fall under the umbrella of entertainment law
A crucial aspect of entertainment law is the creation and negotiation of contracts. In the entertainment industry, some contracts are long-term while others are just for one event. In the entertainment sector, contracts may contain very significant financial commitments. To negotiate deals that are advantageous to their clients, lawyers must be very careful. They need to be aware of things like contract enforceability and damages in the event of a breach.
The term “non-compete agreement” refers to a contract that forbids a talent from working for a rival company. A production company may seek guarantees from the talent that, after their job with the company expires, they won’t go work for the rival company for a set period of time. Entertainment law may include both drafting a non-compete agreement and disputing whether it may be enforced.
In the field of entertainment law, disputes might arise even from carefully written contracts. People and companies in the entertainment sector resort to litigation when there are disagreements. Contract issues, tort claims, employment conflicts, and other wrongs or disagreements may be settled by litigation. In order to assist their clients in obtaining favorable outcomes when entertainment results in litigation, attorneys who practice litigation entertainment law must be knowledgeable in civil procedure, trial advocacy, and alternative dispute resolution.
Entertainment lawyers who hire talent and production workers must be careful to abide by labor and employment regulations, regardless of whether they are set forth in written form by a federal or state agency or in a negotiated union contract. The industry may be subject to labor and employment laws governing safe working conditions, workers’ compensation, and fair hiring practices.
Producers of entertainment are subject to a number of laws and standards. The entertainment business is subject to rules made by the Federal Communications Commission. Entertainment businesses rely on lawyers to assist them in adhering to the plethora of rules that govern the entertainment and communications sectors.
