Entertainment, Sports & Leisure Law
Entertainment, sports, and leisure law focuses on fields of entertainment such as television, movies, radio, satellite, video, the performing arts (including theater, opera, the music recording industry), and the media (newspapers, magazines, video and other electronic media such as Internet, as well as book publishing). Professional and amateur sports are also part of an entertainment, sports, and leisure law practice.Practice Areas in Entertainment, Sports, and Leisure Law
Entertainment, sports, and leisure law is a diverse field that is covered by a number of federal and state laws governed by many different agencies, in sharp contrast to other fields of law, such as gaming. Within the entertainment arena, the practice of entertainment, sports and leisure law covers such areas as:
- Contract Negotiation -- when two parties for example a writer and a publisher or a player and a sports team, negotiate the terms of a contract, an agreement between two parties that spells out legal obligations and is enforceable in a court of law.
- Agent Representation -- refers to a person (the agent) who is authorized to act for or represent another individual such as an artist, musician, writer or sports player.
- Labor -- typically covers disputes that arise between individuals or unions and guilds representing persons in the entertainment, sports, arts, and media fields as well as the companies that hire them.
- Merchandising and Licensing -- involves the sale of a license to use a particular or company’s trademark, logo, patent, or even the person him or herself. An example of the latter is the use of a professional sports player to represent a product.
Hiring an Entertainment, Sports, and Leisure Attorney
Attorneys practicing entertainment, sports, and leisure law represent numerous clients, including sports teams and individual players; radio and television personalities; television and movie studios; individual producers and distributors; promotional and advertising companies; Internet and Web-based media companies; investors interested in amateur sports teams such as minor league baseball or NBA franchises.
These attorneys deal with such issues as trademark and copyright litigation, contracts for cable and network sports as well as entertainment shows. They also handle contracts for sports players; musicians and artists; leases and commercial transactions for stadiums or arenas; financial transactions for entertainment companies; protection of intellectual property rights; licensing agreements for merchandise.
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