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 […]

Chicago Tribune Sponsors Panel Discussion About Creative Professionals

What does it mean to be a creative professional in Chicago? That is the topic for discussions during the Chicago Tribune’s Trib Nation event Chicago Forward: The Future of the Arts in Chicago being held tonight, March 13, 2013 at 6:00 PM. In the Chase Auditorium at 10 South Dearborn. The event proposes to discuss […]

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 […]

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, […]

Social Media for the Indie Film Producer

Don’t have time to get to every film Festival? Don’t worry. You can now turn to the Internet and social media to create your own personal film festival. Fast Company today announced the launch of Prescreen, a “social movie discovery platform” that’s designed to “give filmmakers and distributors an alternative to traditional advertising and distribution […]

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 […]

Religious Organization & Film Producer at Odds Over Copyright to Video

We Hold These Truths Ltd. of Phoenix (WHTT), a religious group opposed to the movement known as “Christian Zionism” sued a film producer for copyright infringement. Christian Zionism is a religious movement that sees the rise of the state of Israel as a fulfillment of a Biblical prophecy. According to the complaint, filed December 13 […]

Political Sites Don’t Have Blanket Fair Use Exemption From Copyright Laws

Legal Issues With Online Video For Business: Texas Governor Rick Perry (still) Learning the Hard Way. As reported this week on the Star-Telegram.com, Gov. Perry’s YouTube account was shut down due to copyright violations. The campaign has used multiple YouTube accounts, most recently to post videos attacking political rival Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. Although the campaign removed those […]