Entertainment law has almost become a law to itself. It is a term used to describe a group of laws which focus on the broadcasting, performance, and music industries. Another term sometimes used as an alternative to entertainment law is that of media law. The copyright laws pertaining to intellectual property as displayed in the media and entertainment industry thus make up entertainment law.
Entertainment law more often than not also refers to aspects of labour related laws, immigration, intellectual properties such as copyright on for instance, a film script, securities, and international laws. Many productions are made available in more than one country and as such it is imperative to understand the above laws of each of the countries where such a production will be made publicly available to avoid legal pitfalls.
Contracts form an integral part of entertainment laws as license agreements have to be made on a regular basis. Royalty disputes as well as questions of authorship and ownership are all handled under the umbrella term of entertainment law. Negotiations must be made all the time and such the use of an intellectual property attorney to assist in all of the above instances becomes all the more important, especially for a newcomer to the industries of media and entertainment. Related areas are that of advertising law, Internet law related issues, and also designs as well as trademarks.
Dancers, musicians, presenters, photographers, journalists, actors, and writers have to do with entertainment laws on a regular basis. From the above description of what entertainment law entails it becomes clear that it is a complex field riddled with difficult decisions. Intellectual property attorneys such as the Smit & Van Wyk team regularly deal with aspects of entertainment law.