Entertainment Law
At Litwin Law Group, PLLC we recognize and appreciate the talents of our artist clients. We help artists protect their careers, businesses and investments by avoiding common pitfalls, reducing ambiguity, and providing protection of artists’ rights.
Litwin Law Group represents clients in the entertainment industry, including film and television focusing on independent feature and documentary films. Our clients include production companies, producers, directors, actors, authors, screenwriters, investors and any company involved with the production, financing or distribution of motion pictures, television series or web series through all existing and new applications/distribution platforms.
What We Do
• Contract Drafting
• Copyright Registration
• Contract Review
• Flat-Rate Start-up Packages
• Talent Agreements
• Crew Agreements
• Release agreements for extras
• Location Agreements
• License agreements for music
• Distribution agreements
• Protecting and licensing intellectual property, such as copyrights and trademarks
• Finance documents
• Option and Purchase Agreements
• Book-to-film deals
• Rough Cut Review for Legal Issues
• Script Review for Potential Legal Issues
• Business entity formation (corporations, partnerships, LLCs)
• Waivers and releases
• Non-Disclosure Agreements
• General consulting in corporate and business matters
• Assistance for disputes that do not require litigation
• And more
To set up a consultation, please contact us at (214) 478-4679 or by email.
Common Questions
Why Should I Register My Work with U.S. Copyright Office?
Whether you are a filmmaker, writer, or any other type of creative artist, you have invested time and energy into your artistic creation. While federal copyright law provides a measure of protection at the time the creative work is made, registering your creative work with the U.S. Copyright Office will provide you with maximum legal protection. For example, a copyright owner who prevails in court against an infringer but failed to register the work may be unable to obtain a reimbursement of attorney’s fees from the infringer, or may be unable to obtain treble damages. For maximum legal protection and additional legal benefits, artists should register their work.
What is the Advantage of a Professionally Drafted Contract?
While it may be tempting to write your own contracts, or even to find something on the Internet and adapt it to your needs, this can cause more problems than it solves. When agreements really matter–when they’re being challenged or being used to clarify intent–you need to have clear, legally binding language to protect your interests. Depending on the kind and scope of the agreement, provisions specific to your situation and certain kinds of boilerplate need to be included.
Even when entering into legal agreements with friends, family, and colleagues, legal counsel is needed to clarify and formalize business relationships and conduct the necessary due diligence. If you plan to invest your time, money, and creative talents in an artistic endeavor, it is important to have an attorney who can protect your rights and interests both upfront and down the road should problems arise.
Why is it Especially Important that Artists Have Contracts Reviewed by an Attorney?
Contracts are a necessary part of every business, but contracts are crucial to creative professionals who risk inadvertently transferring ownership or rights to the works that they create by signing an agreement without a clear understanding of its meaning. Lawyers are trained to parse the legalese and identify contractual issues that non-lawyers may overlook.