Upcoming Entertainment Law Seminar

Chicago’s leading Entertainment Law firm, Leavens, Strand, Glover & Adler, is pleased to announce its inaugural Entertainment Law Seminar: What In-House Lawyers Must Know About Exploiting Creative Content

5 #Legal Questions to Ask BEFORE Starting Your #Crowdfunding Project

Five Legal Questions To Ask BEFORE Crowd-funding You Next Film (or Creative) Project Intro I recently had the opportunity to share the stage at a Chicago VentureShot Community panel presentation on crowdfunding an independent film project. My client successfully raised enough funds to produce his film through the Crowdfunding site KickStarter.com. Due to the unpredictable […]

YouTube Content ID – A Must for Every Indie Filmmaker or Musician

Are you getting the most out of your online marketing efforts? Last year, Google announced a change to its search rankings algorithm, lowering results for known pirate sites. Critics asked why the company would not do the same for Youtube, since that site is widely viewed as a repository for pirated films and music. Read […]

Does Clicking the “Like” Button Equal Constitutionally-Protected Speech?

One of the definitive features of Social Media, and arguably the most contagious, is the ability to express one’s approval and share that with others by clicking “like,” friending, following, pinning or mentioning, among many others. However, unlike other issues that have dealt with the murky area of postings on social networks such as Facebook, […]

NOVAC Provides Local Filmmakers Financing and Guidance on Making Deals

April 11, 2012 Via Chris Henson, New Orleans Indie Movie Examiner “The film industry in New Orleans, and in Louisiana in general, is booming. But it is not only the major studio productions coming to the Crescent City. Independent filmmaking has also exploded in the area. Non-profit organizations like the New Orleans Video Access Center […]

Online Video: Copyright & Related Issues

Pinterest tightens copyright rules CBS News Unfortunately, given that consumers are putting masses of copyrighted photos onto their boards, that becomes a problem. After all, Pinterest doesn’t want to take the legal heat for making coin on the backs of someone else’s intellectual property. See Also: Pinterest Terms Of Service Get Updated If Web movie views double, […]

Dark Knight may occupy Wall Street

Although major motion pictures are known for carefully planning out scenes months in advance, Christopher Nolan‘s “The Dark Knight Rises,” which is scheduled to be shot in New York, may get a dose of gritty authenticity by using the protests as a backdrop or a stand-in for something that already exists in the film. See […]

Weinstein to create new TWC label to focus on Indie films

The Weinstein Company‘s new endeavor will use existing digital distribution channels to deliver new films. have The new as-yet-unamed venture will be headquartered in New York and run by industry veterans Tom Quinn ( Magnolia) and legal consultant Jason Janego. http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/2011/09/06/weinstein_co._launches_indie_label_poaches_magnolias_tom_quinn/

EFF: Viacom-You Tube lawsuit threatens DMCA “Safe Harbors”

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and a coalition of advocacy groups filed an Amicus (friend of the court) brief Thursday, arguing that the infringement claims made by Viacom in the appeal of Viacom v. YouTube threaten the “safe harbor” provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The EFF argues that  services like YouTube have […]

“Indie” Another Way Of Saying Innovative?

What defines the “Indie” aesthetic? Some say, its an a edginess that eschews mainstream roles and requirements. Others say its a certain purity of purpose that comes from being unsigned and undiscovered. Still others have posited that the word is nothing more than its root definition: independent, original, obscure and wholly lacking dependence on mainstream […]