Entertainment Litigation
Entertainment and Copyright and Trademark (Intellectual Property) Litigation
- Copyright and Trademark (Intellectual Property) Infringement
- Theft of ideas Breach of contract/failure to pay monies due
- Guild arbitration
- Royalty and participation disputes
- Disputes with book publishers
To date, in over forty (40) years of practicing law, all of Levine's cases have been settled to the satisfaction of his clients prior to trial by way of arbitration, mediation, dispute resolution, or direct negotiation with opposing counsel.
Entertainment Transactions (Contracts), Including the Internet
- Entertainment financing documents
- Acquisition of “life story” rights
- Performers’ releases
- Production contracts for television, independent films, videos, and major motion pictures
- Music and artwork clearances
- Software licenses, domain name registration, and website development
- Distribution agreements (digital and physical)
- Option/purchase and “set-up” agreements
- Screenplay adaptations of existing books
- Book Publishing agreements
- Vetting or “clearing” of non-fiction and life story manuscripts (memoirs/autobiographies and biographies), screenplays, and teleplays
- Collaboration agreements for songwriters, screenwriters, and book authors (including “ghostwriters”)
- Music contracts, including composers (live and recorded, including demos and soundtracks)
- Licensing deals and agreements, including merchandising
- Music licenses for internet streaming, digital downloads, video games, ringtones, film, commercials, and television
- Purchase and sale of music catalogs (publishing and recording), including due diligence
- Artwork, graphic design, and photography (including visual artist exhibition and gallery consignment)
- Venues and facilities agreements
- Contest registration and rules
- Non-compete, non-solicitation, non-circumvention, non-disclosure, and confidentiality agreements
- Life story, photo, and depiction releases
Civil Litigation (Non-Entertainment)
- General business litigation, including breach of contract, corporate dissolutions, etc.
- Probate litigation, including will contests and elder abuse
- Family law litigation, including dissolution of marriage and paternity cases
- Employment litigation, including employee discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims
- Elder Abuse and Elder Financial Abuse litigation
- Landlord-tenant litigation, including unlawful detainer
Contract Negotiation for “Creative” Talent in the Entertainment Industry
- Actors
- Writers
- Directors
- Producer
- Musicians
- Show packaging & deal-making
- Endorsements and sponsorships
- Agency
- On-air celebrities
- Recordings
- Live concerts
- Employment, including personal management
- Book authors
- Comic book and graphic novel authors
- Book, comic book, and graphic novel publishers
Corporate Matters and Small Business Representation
- Corporation (including shareholder agreements), limited partnership (LP), and limited liability company (LLC) formation, as well as partnership agreements
- Joint venture and profit participation
- Non-profit corporation formation, including securing state and federal tax-exempt status
- Business and corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions and the sale and purchase of businesses
- Employment agreements
- General legal advice and counsel services
Intellectual Property (Copyrights and Trademarks)
- Copyright and trademark registrations, licensing, searches, opinions, and related matters (domestic and international)
- Franchise agreements, state and federal registrations, and disclosure documents
- Loan agreements secured by intellectual property
- Non-disclosure agreements
- Cease and desist letters
Serving Entertainment Industry Clients, Including:
- “Creatives” – Writers, screenwriters, authors, producers, actors, directors, the “subjects” of “docudramas”, composers, musicians, artists, photographers, toy inventors, graphic novel and comic book writers and artists
- Companies – Motion picture and television production and distribution companies, theater companies, galleries, publishers, developers
- Fields – Motion pictures, television, interactive media, streaming, live stage, recorded music, concerts, visual arts, book publishing, advertising
Industry Niches
- Motion pictures
- Independent films
- Television
- Interactive multimedia
- Live stage
- Recorded music
- Concerts
- Visual arts
- Book Publishing
- Advertising
- Comic books and graphic novels
