Why Every Creator Needs an Entertainment Licensing Attorney in Los Angeles

Licensing agreements are required for all songs, scripts, brand deals and streaming placements in Hollywood. A faint phrase can mean that a creator loses years of royalties and/or ownership of their work. So, it’s not about the choice of hiring an entertainment licensing attorney Los Angeles creators can trust; it’s a business decision. Licensing law helps you determine who can use your content, how, where and for how long. You risk giving away rights that you didn’t intend to cede, and you risk a lawsuit if you use someone else’s material without their permission. This is a guide to licensing and the advantages of having the right team.

What Entertainment Licensing Entails

Licensing is not a single contract, rather it’s a category. It encompasses music sync deals, merchandise agreements, distribution and streaming rights, brand partnerships, and format rights for turning a show or book into another medium. Each type has distinct risks attached to it. A musician licensing a track for a commercial would have different protections as compared to a production company licensing a script for a film. If they don’t know this distinction, creators frequently enter into contracts that constrain their future options and/or pay themselves too little for the benefit they’re creating.

The true price of going without a legal review

There are lots of creators who sign a licensing deal rapidly simply because they are thrilled about the prospect. This is the very thing that can lead people into trouble. Typical errors include giving exclusive rights when non-exclusive would have been more appropriate, failing to include the clauses for royalty audits, or granting language that is “in perpetuity” without an end date. These aren’t small errors. They can prevent a creator from accessing their own creation for an indefinite period of time, without any means of renegotiation. The role of a licensing attorney should be to identify these terms prior to signing, and not once an issue has arisen.

Lastine Entertainment Law safeguards creators.

Lastine Entertainment Law is a Beverly Hills law firm that represents actors, musicians, writers, influencers and production companies in the entertainment industry, in film, television and new media. The firm provides a creative team with a review and negotiation of licensing terms, safeguards the intellectual property rights, and handles the business aspects of deals, allowing the creative team to concentrate on their art rather than contract terms. Lastine Entertainment Law is not about a one-time deal, but it’s about long-term legal strategy for a creator’s career; ensuring that every agreement moves a creator forward rather than backward.

Selecting the Correct Lawyer for Your Job

All entertainment lawyers are not the same in regards to the licensing process. Select a law firm that already has experience in the field that you are operating in (be it music, films, digital content, or brand partnership), and that has the ability to communicate without using legalese. Ask about the terms of royalty payment, the procedure for non-delivery of contracts, and rights reversion policy. A company that can provide unmistakable responses to these questions prior to committing to a contract is one that is worth dealing with.

The income and control over a creator’s work for years, even decades, is determined by the licensing agreements. It is much more affordable to obtain legal advice at an early stage than to rectify a poor contract at a later stage. From negotiating the first sync agreement to restructuring rights for a well-established project, an experienced Entertainment licensing attorney Los Angeles is an important asset to have in your rights negotiation arsenal, as Los Angeles professionals recommend.