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California Entertainment / Sports Questions & Answers
1 Answer | Asked in Entertainment / Sports for California on
Q: Do screenwriters need any sort of professional liability insurance?
John Espinosa
John Espinosa
answered on May 12, 2018

Yes, a professional liability insurance policy also known as errors and omissions. Can you do business without it? Sure, but then you take the risk.

1 Answer | Asked in Gaming and Entertainment / Sports for California on
Q: I want to know if I can sue a mobile game app.

I believe the game uses deceptive practices to confuse and trick players into purchasing things that seem like a good buy but in reality it almost always a terrible buy. They usually show a box containing like 10 items and they tell you that you have a random chamce at one of the items. But... View More

Jason Brooks
Jason Brooks
answered on Apr 3, 2018

The beauty (and more often, the detriment) of our American legal system is that anyone can sue somebody for anything -- the more pertinent question to ask here is: Do I have a *legitimate* lawsuit against this mobile developer for their allegedly unfair/deceptive business practices? To that, the... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Entertainment / Sports and Gaming for California on
Q: I own a gaming website that blogs and reviews to promote gaming companies.

My question would be am I allowed to take my own in-game screenshots and use these images on my websites to avoid copyright infringements or violations? I have scoured the internet to find a reasonable and safe way to use images from big game titles. If this is not allowed are there any way... View More

Carrie A. Ward
Carrie A. Ward
answered on Mar 27, 2018

You will need permission from the gaming companies to use images of their game that you are using in a promotional context. Taking screenshots from your own game and then using them for commercial purposes is not advisable.

1 Answer | Asked in Civil Rights, Entertainment / Sports and Small Claims for California on
Q: Paid for something I didn't get! What sure I do?

It was my daughters quinceanera my family was through some bad times my husband had got hurt at worked and he had to be hospitality and was in need to be in a wheelchair for a few months for recovery! So our budget had gotten really small for my daughters quince! Came across a DJ for the party at a... View More

Louis George Fazzi
Louis George Fazzi
answered on Mar 12, 2018

Incomplete information, i.e. you ended before you asked the question or indicated what went wrong.

1 Answer | Asked in Personal Injury, Civil Litigation and Entertainment / Sports for California on
Q: Greetings! I am wondering whether someone can point me in the right direction on which cases to cite in a hypothetical.

When I am synthesizing an office memo in representation of a hypothetical client, is it a plausible approach to cite cases in which the holding was favorable only to a certain extent for the plaintiff? For example, in Noble v. Los Angeles Dodgers, even though the court held that Noble was... View More

Peter N. Munsing
Peter N. Munsing
answered on Mar 5, 2018

We are not a site for homework completion.

1 Answer | Asked in Criminal Law, Entertainment / Sports and Federal Crimes for California on
Q: If I shoot a music video at a college and spraying people with water guns What charges can I face
Dale S. Gribow
Dale S. Gribow
answered on Feb 23, 2018

Do you have permits?

if you commit any unauthorized touching of another that is a battery...........so shooting someone could be a battery, without any injuries.......hopefully.

1 Answer | Asked in Entertainment / Sports for California on
Q: Am I able to trademark a stage name?
Donovan A Rodriques
Donovan A Rodriques
answered on Dec 20, 2017

In general, yes.

1 Answer | Asked in Copyright, Entertainment / Sports, Internet Law and Trademark for California on
Q: I'm considering developing an app that will use pictures and voice clips of celebrities. Am I in danger of being sued?

I'll be using photos and audio clips from the internet. I don't want to go through the hassle of trying to get permission if I don't have to but I don't want to get sued. The app will be free and make money from ad revenue. I'm worried that using someones likeness makes... View More

Robert P. Cogan
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answered on Nov 16, 2017

If you choose the correct celebrity you can expect to be sued. California gives celebrities a "right of privacy." The law generally does not allow violation of rights just because the violator not want the "hassle" of obeying the rules.

1 Answer | Asked in Civil Rights, Entertainment / Sports and Small Claims for California on
Q: I let a person borrow a camera I bought from her. Now she hasn’t replied me, I only have her number and license plate.

In July, I saw on the app OfferUp that a girl was selling a camera for only $100. So I bought it. Two weeks ago, she messages me that she needed it for the weekend cause her parents still think she had it. I said okay, as long as there was a collateral or knowing I’ll get it back.

We met... View More

Louis George Fazzi
Louis George Fazzi
answered on Nov 6, 2017

It appears you have learned a hard lesson. Take the jewelry that she gave you as collateral to a jewelry store and see what kind of price you can get for each piece. Then go to your local target store and buy yourself a good inexpensive camera. Either that or get yourself a decent iPhone, which... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Copyright and Entertainment / Sports for California on
Q: For a copyright lawyer: Which liscenses do I have to get when posting music covers on Youtube?

Looking for some advice from a copyright lawyer that I can potentially stake my life on.

I know for covers in general, licenses discussed are usually mechanical, sync, and I've seen mentions of Master Use licenses.

For posting a cover purely on Youtube, without monetization,... View More

Robert P. Cogan
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answered on Aug 7, 2017

"Looking for some advice from a copyright lawyer that I can potentially stake my life on." Did you want this for free? Did you want an answer that was short enough to fit in this box? Did you want the attorney to answer this without getting further information? It is possible that your... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Business Law, Copyright, Entertainment / Sports and Business Formation for California on
Q: Can I start an organization in the name of a deceased public figure?

The Foundation for the person in question (Kathryn Kuhlman) recently shut down, and she has no immediate offspring such as children.

Robert P. Cogan
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answered on Jul 27, 2017

Questions to be considered include whether your organization would be confused with the Foundation and how to avoid confusion. It also has to be determined if use of the name would violate rights of others, even for the name of a deceased person with no immediate offspring. This can get tricky.

1 Answer | Asked in Entertainment / Sports for California on
Q: I am looking for the California labor law pertaining to rendering payment for personal working on a TV production.

The company never came up with deal memo's or contracts prior to production. Though we should be on payroll, they insisted we send invoices. It has been over 70 days with no payment and the company states they are within the law, since we did not have a signed contract.

Robert P. Cogan
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answered on Jul 24, 2017

The company's position seems to be unsupported. It is impossible to know without listing all the facts. What was the work? Should you have been an employee? Other factors besides labor include contract law and civil procedure. Based on your question it seems unlikely that quoting a statute to... View More

2 Answers | Asked in Entertainment / Sports for California on
Q: Do agents have any legal obligations to you once you've signed with one?
Robert P. Cogan
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answered on Jul 24, 2017

If you have signed with an agent it means that there is a contract. Contracts includes terms and conditions. Usually the terms specify the legal obligations of both you and the agent. There also may be obligations that apply under the law even if they are not spelled out in the contract. It appears... View More

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2 Answers | Asked in Entertainment / Sports, Intellectual Property, Internet Law and Trademark for California on
Q: What're the Parody/Fair Use laws concerning impersonating fictional characters humorously narrating public domain works?

The idea is to impersonate various fictional characters from various forms of entertainment, such as Mario (Nintendo video game) or Gollum (Lord of the Rings), reading various public domain works of fiction in as close to the character's syntax as possible ("And the princess pricked her... View More

Ali Shahrestani,
Ali Shahrestani,
answered on Jun 1, 2017

This might qualify as a parody. Have a lawyer review the facts and business carefully to help you try to avoid IP violations. More details are necessary to provide a professional analysis of your issue. The best first step is an Initial Consultation with an Attorney. You can read more about me, my... View More

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1 Answer | Asked in Entertainment / Sports, Land Use & Zoning and Municipal Law for California on
Q: 1. I'm a musician. Do I need a (police) 'permit' to sell tickets and play live gigs in my California apartment?

I'm a musician. I play live solo acoustic guitar some evenings in my apartment for friends and friends of friends etc. All my sets are cover songs from various artists. I receive many requests that differ on each evening of course. Each guest usually contributes between $10 - $20. Some... View More

Ali Shahrestani,
Ali Shahrestani,
answered on May 16, 2017

You may be violating your lease, zoning, and/or licensing laws relating to music venues. You may need contracts with the additional musicians. More details are necessary to provide a professional analysis of your issue. The best first step is an Initial Consultation with an Attorney. You can read... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Entertainment / Sports for California on
Q: What kind of work permit do I need for my child that would like to get into commercials?
Ali Shahrestani,
Ali Shahrestani,
answered on May 5, 2017

They may need a SAG membership and an entertainment work permit from the CA DIR. More details are necessary to provide a professional analysis of your issue. The best first step is an Initial Consultation with an Attorney. You can read more about me, my credentials, awards, honors, testimonials,... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Entertainment / Sports, Gaming, Intellectual Property and Internet Law for California on
Q: Can I include images of video games in my monetized blog?

I am planning on creating and eventually monetizing a video game blog. I would like to include images of the video games I write about, however I'm not sure if that would be copyright infringement. I would appreciate is someone could tell me if this is allowed. Thank you.

Ali Shahrestani,
Ali Shahrestani,
answered on Mar 30, 2017

This may qualify as an exception if you're writing comments and critiques about the games, and if you're providing attribution to the copyright holder. More details are necessary to provide a professional analysis of your issue. The best first step is an Initial Consultation with an... View More

2 Answers | Asked in Copyright, Entertainment / Sports and Intellectual Property for California on
Q: Can I write a screenplay adaption of a novel in public domain using the same dialogue, and still have it protected?

The novel's copyright was not renewed, and the author passed away in 2002. Would the dialogue be able to be adapted word for word in the screenplay and still be able to be protected by the Writers Guild of America and copyright laws?

Ali Shahrestani,
Ali Shahrestani,
answered on Mar 22, 2017

You may still be in violation of the copyright which can last well past the author's death. See: http://copyright.cornell.edu/resources/publicdomain.cfm

More details are necessary to provide a professional analysis of your issue. The best first step is an Initial Consultation with an...
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1 Answer | Asked in Entertainment / Sports for California on
Q: Who owns the raw film footage for a documentary? We raised funds on Kickstarter but under the name of guy who got paid.

My two colleagues and I hired a codirector/editor to document our story. He fulfilled his obligation but I don't like the final product. I want to take in a different direction but he won't give me the raw footage to work with. We used Kickstarter to raise money to pay him but he set it... View More

Ali Shahrestani,
Ali Shahrestani,
answered on Mar 17, 2017

If he was only the director and editor, I see no basis for his legal ownership of the footage. You may be able to sue him for conversion of personal property, at least. The copyright ownership may be joint, however, if you wrote/ shot the film and he edited it. More details are necessary to provide... View More

2 Answers | Asked in Entertainment / Sports for California on
Q: Can my new record label be a part of the business/LLC I already have open? Or do I need a new business/LLC for it?

I already own a business/LLC in California, in the Entertainment field. I want to start a Record Label. I'm wondering if I need to start (or open) a new business/LLC for my new Record Label, or can I have it operate as a part of/under the business/LLC that I already have? The business/LLC I am... View More

Ali Shahrestani,
Ali Shahrestani,
answered on Mar 17, 2017

A merger/ acquisition may satisfy your needs. More details are necessary to provide a professional analysis of your issue. The best first step is an Initial Consultation with an Attorney. You can read more about me, my credentials, awards, honors, testimonials, and media appearances/ publications... View More

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