About the Book:
A
Resource for Media Producers Who Don't Want To Be Sued
What Does It Mean to Clear Rights? As a media
producer, clearing rights means making sure that no material in your
production violates the rights of any other person. Rights an unwary
producer might violate include copyright, trademark, right of
publicity, right of privacy and defamation.
Who Needs to Clear Rights? All those who develop
and distribute entertainment and media need to clear rights. They
include authors, publishers, visual artists, musicians, TV producers,
filmmakers, website owners, and software developers.
Is Rights Clearance Really Necessary? Yes, it is.
If you fail to clear rights, you risk being sued and having the
release of your project delayed or prohibited. Many distributors
(e.g., networks, publishing companies, record labels) will not
accept your work until they are satisfied you have cleared all
rights.
What Rights Must Be Cleared? Whenever you
incorporate another person's material into your production, you must
obtain that person's permission or otherwise determine that the
material is legally available for use. The material might be a song,
a poem, an illustration, a film clip, a name, or some other item to
which another owns the rights.
Proper Rights Clearance Is Not Always Obvious And
that's where The Permission
Seeker's Guide Through the Legal Jungle can assist
you. This 408-page media production resource:
• explains how to recognize and avoid rights clearance
problems
• provides detailed instructions for clearing rights
• offers money-saving and risk-minimizing techniques for
clearing rights
• lays out copyright, trademark, privacy, defamation, and
other laws relevant to clearing rights
• includes over fifty pages of resources and sample forms
What people say:
"…a comprehensive,
easy-to-use compendium of all the general knowledge you need to make
the right choices in regards to the tricky subject of rights
clearance." — Elizabeth Foley,
Producer/Writer/Director
About the Author:
Joy R. Butler is an entertainment, intellectual property
and business attorney who regularly assists producers with rights
clearance projects. Her legal expertise includes copyrights, trademarks, commercial licensing, entertainment law, private equity financing, and mergers and acquisitions. A frequent speaker and writer on media and
business issues, she has a law degree from Harvard Law School and a
B.A. degree in economics from Harvard College. She is the author of
The Cyber Citizen's Guide Through the Legal Jungle and The
Permission Seeker's Guide Through the Legal Jungle.