Entertainment & Media

To deliver the most effective representation and counsel for our entertainment and media clients, Carlton Fields’ attorneys pull from years of experience in the entertainment industry.

For example, one of our attorneys was Chief Financial Officer of a major music talent management company; another attorney was the General Counsel of a major sports organization. Carlton Fields entertainment and media practitioners have represented numerous music talents/groups and major music recording labels.

Our firm is in a unique position to offer valuable in-depth industry knowledge and experience to meet your legal needs and achieve your business goals.


Legal Services & Experience

Carlton Fields’ experienced attorneys provide skilled representation to address all of the legal needs of our entertainment and media clients. Attorneys assist clients in the following areas of law: 

  • Corporate, domestic, and international tax
  • Intellectual property
  • Wealth and asset preservation
  • Labor and employment
  • Real estate
  • Finance
  • Unfair competition
  • Litigation
  • Zoning and land use

Our business lawyers have significant experience in the:

  • Sale and acquisition of entertainment and media properties
  • Licensing and protection of entertainment and media properties
  • Development of management, talent, recording, and publishing contracts
  • Development, management, and operation of stadiums, arenas, theatres, concert halls, and other entertainment venues
  • Production, licensing, and distribution of motion pictures and television programming
  • Advising individual talent on international and domestic tax implications and wealth preservation strategies
  • Negotiating, reviewing, and preparing presenter agreements
  • Negotiating and preparing broadcast rights agreement for cable and pay TV
  • Pre-publication legal review for book publishers and television production companies
  • Satellite uplink and downlink contracts

Carlton Fields litigation attorneys have represented nationally known entertainment and media clients in a wide variety of litigation matters, including:

  • Intellectual property rights (copyright, trademark and piracy protection)
  • Internet-related matters
  • Contract and other entertainment law disputes
  • Management disputes

Representative Clients/Industries

Individual talent including:

  • Entertainers
  • Artists
  • Musical groups
  • Entertainment managers
  • Entertainment agents
  • Actors
  • Playwrights
  • Musicians
  • Dancers
  • Authors

Small, privately-held businesses including:

  • Theater operators
  • Independent film producers
  • Recording studios
  • Local television and radio stations
  • Publishing companies
  • Dance companies

Large, publicly-traded domestic and multi-national companies including:

  • National media outlets
  • Talent agencies
  • Broadcast networks
  • Motion picture and television producers and distributors
  • Recording companies
  • Literary and magazine publishers
  • Video game developers
  • Internet-based content providers

Select Representative Matters

  • Obtained court approval of contracts to bind entertainers who had not yet reached the age of majority
  • Financed the production and global distribution of several major motion pictures
  • Negotiated and drafted $16 million naming rights agreement
  • Representation of authors and publishers in defamation actions
  • Representation of sporting goods manufacturer in consumer class action suit
  • Representation of not-for-profit dance company in trademark/copyright dispute
  • Prosecution of copyright claim on behalf of magazine publisher
  • Representation of commercial arm of national media outlet in breach-of-contract litigation involving rights to recordings in the media company's music archive
  • Representation of telephone directory publisher in false advertising case
  • Representation of broadcast network in defense of copyright claim
  • Representation of financial publisher in First Amendment reporter's privilege cases




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