When clients call me to ask me to draft contracts, they often say, “it needs to be as short as possible, like one page, maybe two.” I tell them that if we squeeze everything on one page, the text will be so small no one will be able (or want) to read it. It is very important that everyone read the contract and understand it. It is equally important that you cover all of the information you...Read More
It has happened. The work you spent months, possibly even years developing has shown up in someone else’s song/photo/screenplay, on another company’s website or in “exciting new product.” You’re concerned about losing your audience, your profits and your rights. Can you bring an intellectual property lawsuit to enforce your trademark or copyright? Is it even worth it?
The first step:...Read More
Whether you are considering releasing your sound recording on a streaming service like Spotify or you’ve already ended up on a few of Spotify’s high-profile playlists, there are steps you should take now to ensure you are properly compensated for your work.
In an ideal world, every artist would have their music available and be paid handsomely by those who listen to it. But the reality is far...Read More
It’s nearing the end of the year, a time when people scramble to schedule their annual physicals, eye care check-ups and dentist appointments. While you are marking your calendar for these check-ups, don’t forget about another important appointment: Your end-of-year business health check-up.
This is a time for you to sit down with your lawyer and ensure that you have all of your financial,...Read More
General partnerships are one of the easiest business entities to form; so easy, in fact, that they can form on their own. If you can show a court that you and at least one other person are performing business tasks with the intent of earning a profit together, you can likely establish that you are in a general partnership. Such arrangements are simple, flexible, and cheap (at least to set...Read More
You aren’t the first artist, game designer, songwriter or other creative entrepreneur to wonder whether you can use someone’s name or ideas in your work, and you certainly won’t be the last. The concept of “public domain” can be tricky, but it’s an important one to grasp if you want to stay out of legal trouble down the road.
Public domain work and copyright law
What does it mean for...Read More
Contracts can be tough to read and even tougher to understand, even for trained practitioners.
Here is a recent article on Lexology.com that offers common sense advice for fixing contracts. If you can’t stand contracts you can’t understand, let’s work together to provide your business with clear, short, and enforceable agreements.
Read More
You’ve finally decided now is the time to pursue your dream of being your own boss. You have the idea for the next big thing. And you are confident that your new business will be successful, but you do not know how to put your plan into action. This post discusses some of the things that you can do to help improve your chances of success.
Step 1: Work with legal counsel
Lawyers do more...Read More
Imagine you and your friend have a great idea for the next billion-dollar blockbuster. You might have some of the key plot points and your friend may be an expert at character development and dialogue. You start thinking about putting your ideas on paper in the hopes of writing the next Hollywood blockbuster.
Ideally, you and your partner will write the movie that makes you successful...Read More
The way that we make music has changed a great deal over the past five years. In the past, musicians would have to book expensive studio time to record a song and eventually release a record. Now, bands and artists can use apps such as GarageBand, Adobe Audition, or Pro Tools to record tracks and distribute new music.
Many of these apps offer extensive sample libraries, such as guitar riffs,...Read More
