DeepFocus to speak on entertainment law at University of Oregon School of Law intellectual property panel

April 4, 2023 by DeepFocus Law

DeepFocus Entertainment Law founder Dane E. Johnson will speak on a panel session at the University of Oregon School of Law titled, “Entertainment Law Q&A”. The panel will be held in Eugene, Oregon on April 7, 2023, from 12 to 2pm PST.

Filmmakers + Friends

March 20, 2023 by DeepFocus Law

Nothing keeps your project moving forward like momentum, and regularly sharing updates with other indie producers, directors, screenwriters, and more is a great way to get it. Join this month’s DeepFocus Entertainment Law virtual gathering. Bring your own coffee and talk film finance, business and legal affairs, whatever you want to share with other industry professionals about your productions or scripts.

Start a year for successful filmmaking with a solid business and legal foundation

January 2, 2023 by DeepFocus Law

Register now to join DeepFocus Entertainment Law for a virtual coffee get-together monthly in 2023. The first online event kicks off January 27, 2023, from 8 AM to 9:30 AM PST. Clients, prospective clients, and friends are welcome. Register now here. In the meantime, enjoy these suggestions for New Year’s resolutions to start your next film or television project on solid business and legal ground:

Getting to Greenlight Series: Life rights for film and television

June 2, 2022 by DeepFocus Law

DeepFocus Law’s Getting to Greenlight series presents entertainment attorney explanations of key business and legal affairs aspects of film and television development. This post turns the lens on the life rights acquisition agreement.

As the California Court of Appeals noted in a case involving Hollywood icon Olivia de Havilland, “[b]ooks, films, plays, and television shows often portray real people. Some are famous and some are just ordinary folks.” Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis”, which recently premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, is one example. There are many others, from eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes (“The Aviator”) to figure skater Tonya Harding (“I, Tonya”).

Getting to Greenlight Series: What is an option/purchase agreement for a motion picture rights to a book, comic, or other written works?

May 26, 2022 by DeepFocus Law

DeepFocus Law’s Getting to Greenlight series presents entertainment attorney explanations of key business and legal affairs aspects of film and television development. This post turns the lens on the literary option/purchase agreement.

Demand for new source material in Hollywood leads frequently to creative executives approaching authors of written works from literary fiction to existing screenplays to graphic novels. The underlying rights to such works are often the first link in the chain of title of a motion picture or television series. The first step in forging that chain is one of the most important in motion picture and television law–creating a deal for intellectual property rights. A deal for adapting literary material for the screen is most often documented in a literary option/purchase agreement. Here’s an example of a screenplay option/purchase agreement.