Parody, Fair Use, Or Copyright Infringement?

A recent question asked whether a project was a permissible “parody” of a preexisting work, or whether the project was too close to the original and was therefore an impermissible rip off – a/k/a copyright infringement. The answer can be maddeningly...

2010 USC Institute on Entertainment Law and Business

Saturday I attended the 2010 USC Institute on Entertainment Law & Business – terrific speakers on the state and future of the industry. The quality of the topics was exceeded only by the high caliber and knowledge of the speakers. Highlights included…...

My “On The Page” Interview is Up!

My interview with screenwriting teacher and consultant Pilar Alessandra is now up and available! Our wide ranging conversation was focused on Legal and Business Do’s and Don’ts for screenwriters, and covered many hypotheticals and real world, practical...

“On The Page” Interview to Air October 15th

This week I had the honor of being interviewed on Pilar Alessandra’s excellent Podcast “On The Page,” a fantastic source of information about the craft and business of screenwriting. www.onthepage.tv The topic for the interview was “Legal and...

Copyright Clearance – An issues list, and “fair use.”

Whether you are a producer, director, screenwriter, novelist, or photographer, it is imperative you stay focused on copyright, privacy and publicity clearance issues. Having an unlicensed piece of footage in your film may mean the difference between a sale or...