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Virginia Entertainment / Sports Questions & Answers
1 Answer | Asked in Contracts and Entertainment / Sports for Virginia on
Q: I recently got a record deal for distribution through universal just wondering if someone could look over it for me
Steven Krieger
Steven Krieger
answered on Aug 28, 2021

Sure. If you email it to me, I can take a quick look to give you a quote to review in full.

1 Answer | Asked in Copyright and Entertainment / Sports for Virginia on
Q: I write and produce songs. One of the songs contains dialogue from a movie, but I speak. Is that a copyright violation ?

I write and produce songs. One of the songs contains dialogue from a movie, that I speak in the song. Is that a copyright violation or an infringement to add that dialogue, even though its spoken by myself? It's a total of 19 words.

Ryan Schmidt
Ryan Schmidt
answered on Nov 2, 2020

Generally speaking, any time copyrighted material is incorporated into a new work you will need permission from the original author. This may be obtained by getting a license to create a derivative work. Copyright issues are complex and each matter is different. It is recommended that you consult a... View More

2 Answers | Asked in Copyright and Entertainment / Sports for Virginia on
Q: Can I use an actual news broadcast for a fictional movie??

I’m writing a YouTube episodic and wanted to use a few actual news broadcasts in the promo trailer. The show is a work of entirely fiction just loosely based on real life. I would be using less than 30 seconds of each broadcast.

Barbara Berschler
Barbara Berschler
answered on May 22, 2020

The news broadcast itself is protected by copyright. You would need to get the permission of the owner of the copyright in the broadcast. You may be able to negotiate a licensed use for your fictional work. Best to work through a copyright counsel.

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