The entertainment and media landscape is one built on innovation and disruption. From the onset of streaming to more recent trends such as the exploding creator economy or the development of NFTs, Manatt has helped clients stay ahead of the curve to navigate turbulence and take ownership of their personal brands since 1977. By leveraging our decades of experience and cross-industry integrated legal and consulting model, we help clients proactively identify new market opportunities that come from entertainment’s increasing convergence with other sectors.
The interplay between technology and consumer demand is transforming the marketplace. Content is king, and the challenge is finding the right platforms to deliver and monetize your entertainment and content properties. Our clients recognize that the disruptive environment and proliferation of new technologies are harbingers of opportunity, and they appreciate that taking advantage of such requires the right mix of business savvy and legal experience. That’s the value Manatt provides—to help you lead in today’s rapidly changing market.
Entertainment is in our bones. As one of the first entertainment practices in the country, with more than 45 years of experience, Manatt’s professionals have represented some of the biggest names in entertainment through high-profile M&A transactions, film and television deals, recording and publishing deals, catalog sales, and complex litigation. We’ve been recognized as a pioneer and leader in the industry, with regular accolades in national entertainment publications such as Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard, as well as international directories Chambers and Partners and The Legal 500.
Because we are the go-to firm for some of the biggest global players in entertainment, our clients know they can rely on us to deliver value and advance their business objectives. We work with:
We cover the spectrum of entertainment and media law and consulting. Our work includes:
Music
For more than 45 years, Manatt has been the go-to legal advisor for the industry’s leading performers, musicians, producers and songwriters across genres. We also provide guidance, strategy and execution for companies of all types in the music business. Manatt’s music practice represents clients in highly negotiated, boundary-pushing deals and the industry’s most consequential litigation. With long-lasting relationships, our approach is informed from both legal and commercial standpoints and a deep understanding of how the music business operates. We are particularly sought after for high-level, nuanced and complex music transactions, including the buying and selling of large music companies and catalogs. Our related offerings include:
- Brand strategy and global execution for music icons
- Music publishing administration
- Catalog creation and royalty hunting
- Master recording and music publishing catalog sales
- Global content distribution and licensing agreements
- Artist advocacy on the state and national levels
- Joint ventures and strategic partnerships
- Copyright law and intellectual property (IP) protection
- Copyright termination rights
- Management agreements
- Neighboring rights agreements
- Producer agreements
- Royalty and SoundExchange audits
- Litigation
Film and TV
Our film, TV and digital media practice provides both transactional and litigation services to production and distribution companies, studios, networks, banks, funds, and other investors, as well as a wide range of multihyphenated individuals, from actors, writers, directors and producers to book authors. From our Los Angeles and New York offices, our lawyers broker deals across the United States and in Asia, Europe and Latin America. And we’re shaping the future of digital media, providing crucial strategic support to major players in this space. The team is practiced and pragmatic, excelling in financing, production, distribution, licensing, and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in all aspects of the entertainment industry. Combined with our cross-industry practice groups, Manatt can be your one-stop shop for all your company’s legal needs. Our film and television offerings include:
- Financing, production, development and distribution
- Rights acquisitions and clearances
- Syndication, content licensing, and output and slate agreements
- Employment and talent agreements
- M&A
- IP protection
- Sponsorship and product placement agreements
- Litigation
- Acquiring, licensing and monetizing music for film/TV
- First-look and overall deals with major networks and streaming platforms
- Pilot and renewal deals for drama and comedy scripted television series
- General counsel for the estates of icons
- Acquisitions of library content and IP for content creators
- Launching and renewal of first-run syndicated talk shows
- Crisis management
Sports
Manatt attorneys have extensive experience in sports, and we know how league, team and players association rules and requirements impact athlete business opportunities. We have served as inside and outside general counsel for professional sports franchises, and the Firm’s attorneys and consultants have represented teams from nearly every major professional sports league, esports teams and companies, sporting goods companies, ticketing companies and ticket brokers, and stadiums and other venues. We closely follow industry developments such as the game-changing name, image and likeness (NIL) updates affecting student-athletes at NCAA member institutions who are now able to monetize their NIL rights and maintain eligibility to compete in intercollegiate athletics. We also advise major corporate brands and networks on sports-related investments, sponsorships, and advertising and marketing campaigns. Our experience includes cutting-edge innovative technologies and emerging business models such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), non-fungible tokens, and digital fan engagement. Manatt’s offerings include:
- Advising collegiate, high school and amateur athletes
- Educating student-athletes, schools and brands
- Regulatory compliance
- NIL deals, from strategy to agreements
- Media rights and streaming deals and strategies
- Digital and technology transactions and strategies
- Litigation
- Brand protection
- Data privacy and security
- IP counseling
- Sporting events
- Sponsorship, naming rights and endorsement deals
- Ticket and premium licensing transactions, including the secondary market
- Team-arena leases and concessions leases/licenses
- Digital fan engagement applications, including AR, VR and innovative content presentations and interactions
Icons and Creator Economy
Manatt has a deep history of working with the industry’s top talent, and our representation of these icons has only increased as the creator economy continues to flourish. Our team of legal and strategic advisors work with the biggest names in entertainment, branding and finance to achieve their goals of entrepreneurship, advocacy and innovation. Our vibrant icon practice features musicians, songwriters, recording legends, athletes, film and television stars, and high-profile executives who turn to us for our extensive soup-to-nuts experience expanding our client portfolios of new business opportunities from concept to launch. Additionally, our entertainment professionals partner closely with our other business consultants to guide content creators and new media companies through complex legal, commercial and strategic issues related to their business growth opportunities. Our offerings include:
- Go-to-market and business growth strategies
- Investment advice
- Structuring global distribution networks and tours
- Trademark enforcement
- New venture consulting and structuring
- Influencer and brand agreements
- Stage deals based on existing or original IP
- Nonprofit formation and compliance
- Real estate transactions and litigation
- Book publishing
- Estate planning
- Privacy and data security
Live Entertainment
Manatt offers interdisciplinary, full-service and scalable live entertainment solutions to a diverse client base. Our professionals’ live entertainment experience includes a variety of matters across concerts and festivals, sports events, pop-ups, conferences and expos, corporate and internal events, fundraisers and charity events, food events, and fashion shows. We infuse such seasoned experience and creative thinking into all aspects of these events and, in doing so, work closely with our clients to choreograph and implement all matters necessary to result in an optimum presentation of any such event in a manner advantageous to the client’s business model. From financial planning to accessing talent and entertainment content, ticketing, government approvals, COVID-19 regulatory counsel, and a breadth of ancillary offerings, Manatt has the road map to successfully produce live events. Our offerings include:
- Contractual aspects of worldwide tours
- Ticketing
- Tour employment
- Merchandising deals
- Venue agreements
- Vendor agreements
- Livestreaming agreements
- Sponsorship agreements
- Fundraising and financial restructuring
- Technology integration
- Crisis management
- Concessionaire agreements
- Talent agreements
- Audiovisual agreements
- Stage agreements
- Tour riders
- Agreements with agencies and promoters
- Media partnerships and communications strategies
- Social media and influencer agreements
- Access to top-level talent
- Regulatory compliance
- IP strategies and portfolio management
- Stage deals based on existing or original IP
- Advertising and marketing compliance
- Insurance
- Privacy and data security
- COVID-19-related advice and advocacy
- Complex tax advice
- Complex corporate structuring
Games and Esports
Manatt’s lawyers and strategic consultants bring decades of licensing, technology, advertising and entertainment experience to companies and individuals in the games and esports industries. We are not only recognized as leaders in the space for completing a number of first-of-their-kind deals, but our ability to dig in on the business side ensures our counsel is consistent with the latest market trends. Our integrated team of lawyers, digital strategists, business analysts and investors is uniquely positioned to assist both licensors and licensees in the games and esports markets, enabling them to stay ahead of the evolving digital market with the following:
- Developer and publisher agreements
- Content licensing
- Production and distribution agreements
- Talent agreements (voiceover and name, image and likeness)
- Advertising, brand integration, product placement and sponsorship agreements
- Player, team and league agreements
- User agreements
- Data privacy and cybersecurity
- IP protection and business litigation
- Financing and investments
- Joint ventures and M&A
- Competitive landscape and market positioning
- Strategic consulting and business development
- Counseling with respect to compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations
- Go-to-market strategies
Podcasting
The consistent rise of podcasting has brought fresh opportunities for networks and content creators alike. Manatt exists at the forefront of podcast-specific productions. Our unified team of lawyers understands the sensitivity and precision that come with a business focused on the spoken word. We can help with:
- Financing, production, development and distribution of scripted and nonscripted programming
- Talent agreements
- Advertisement agreements
- Technology integration
- Transitionary agreements
- Production and distribution services
- Counsel on strategy and deal structures
- Acquisition deals
- Licensing deals
- Strategic consulting
- Privacy and data security
Comedy
In a world where comedians are ambassadors of their own global brands, they require deft counsel to ensure their interests are protected on a large scale. Between tours, streaming specials and production deals, Manatt is an ideal partner to established and emerging comics, production companies and comedy houses. We can assist with the following:
- Production and licensing agreements
- Transaction agreements
- Cobranding partnerships
- Live performance deals
- Corporate restructuring
- Brand content agreements
- Copyright law and IP protection
- Network deals
- Contractual issues
- Defamation
- Streaming agreements
- Litigation
- Performance and other license compliance
- Privacy and data security
Metaverse
The explosion of blockchain technology and intensified consumer interest in augmented reality have driven many companies and individuals to realize the promise of a new kind of digital world: the metaverse. Entering the metaverse early is a key to success in this new space, but it also presents uncharted legal and regulatory risk that requires deftness and precision to navigate. That’s where we come in. Manatt’s integrated platform, including best-in-class consulting and legal counsel at the critical nexus of cryptocurrency, digital and technology transactions, data security, advertising, entertainment, venture capital, and intellectual property, distinctly positions us to provide a multifaceted perspective on metaverse- and Web3-related opportunities and challenges. We actively represent clients in this burgeoning space and already have a proven track record of successful transactions industrywide. Manatt manages the spectrum of opportunities in this space, from consulting to dealmaking to litigation. Our related capabilities include:
- Non-fungible token (NFT) minting, marketing and transactions
- Blockchain transactions
- Metaverse real estate transactions
- Securities laws pertinent to NFT transactions
- Cryptocurrency financing, including simple agreement for future equity (SAFE) and simple agreement for future tokens (SAFT) subscriptions
- Decentralized financing structures, including stablecoin protocols and real-world asset financing
- Blockchain and cryptocurrency regulations
- Decentralized autonomous organization structuring and formation
- Token and coin issuances and exchange listings
- Content creation, monetization and licensing
- Copyright, patent, trademark and trade secret protection
- Defense in government inquiries and investigations
- Privacy and cybersecurity
- Employment contracts and disputes
- Brand activations
- Developer and publisher agreements, including software licensing and application programming interface agreements
- World-building production and financing agreements
- Joint venture transactions
- Advertising, brand, influencer and sponsorship agreements
Platforms and Branded Content
As streaming platforms and branded content creators have become established sources of entertainment, Manatt lawyers bring deep industry experience representing both platforms and content providers in a wide range of deals. Clients turn to us for our extensive experience handling complex transactions in this arena, including OTT (over-the-top) content integration deals, MVPD (multichannel video programming distributor) integration deals, FAST channel (free ad-supported streaming TV) deals, and content acquisition and syndication deals. We also have extensive experience with advertising-based video on demand (AVOD), transactional video on demand (TVOD) and subscription video on demand (SVOD) business models.
Our years of experience representing major platforms and brands uniquely positions us to understand your business needs in the digital content integration space. Our depth of technology knowledge brings with it an ability to navigate issues specific to software applications, application programming interfaces (APIs) and cloud-based services that provide the backbone to these types of deals and are necessary to get them done. Our extensive advertising experience enables us to provide our clients with an understanding of the means by which advertising can be inserted into content being made available on digital platforms and the different financial models (e.g., revenue share, inventory split) that may be implemented in this regard. And our deep privacy and data security knowledge allows us to advise clients on issues relating to the ownership and use of the data collected in connection with these types of transactions. We can assist with:
- App integration agreements for the distribution of content on connected device platforms
- API integration deals for the distribution of content on connected device platforms
- Content license agreements with connected device platforms
- Agreements for the distribution of linear content streaming services
- Hosting agreements for FAST channel delivery and dynamic ad insertion
- Content curation and syndication agreements for the creation of FAST channels
- SVOD, AVOD and TVOD agreements
- Strategic partnership agreements
Brand Integrations and Marketing/Promotions
Many brands partner with content creators, influencers and media companies to create brand awareness and positive brand associations, promote new and existing products, and expand their customer bases, which may involve custom content, product placements, sponsorships, and/or joint marketing or promotional programs and influencer campaigns. Manatt is able to leverage our extensive industry knowledge and experience in music, entertainment, sports and advertising to assist clients in all aspects of such content marketing, from concept to execution. Our capabilities include:
- Custom content agreements
- Production agreements
- Product placement agreements
- Trade-out agreements
- Strategic alliance agreements
- Copromotion/comarketing agreements
- Content distribution agreements
- Sponsorship agreements
- Media partnerships
- Influencer/talent agreements
- Third-party rights clearance and IP counseling
- Advertising regulatory compliance
Investing Advisory Services
Manatt is a full-service provider of venture capital strategy, legal advice and deal execution to the top talent in the entertainment industry. In a world driven by content and innovation, creators, celebrities and other talent are often positioned at the forefront of cutting-edge industries and exciting venture capital opportunities. With a full-time venture capitalist on board, our trusted advisory practice helps entertainment clients manage and optimize their investment strategy.
Entertainment clients who are involved in investing—some have their own funds, some have angel investments, some have equity via brand ambassadorships—need the right guidance to capitalize on these opportunities and avoid any pitfalls that can arise out of these deals. Our team can provide the following:
- Set up and structure a formal investing arm
- Educate clients on how to invest their capital
- Develop a tailored investment strategy that achieves client goals, such as brand building, strategic growth and diversified revenue income
- Provide outside due diligence on investment opportunities
- Review, negotiate and execute the terms of investments, brand sponsorship and partnership agreements, joint ventures, and other transactions for talent clients