February 4, 2022 Raising the Dead: Understanding Post-Mortem Rights of Publicity Roadrunner , Oscar-winner Morgan Neville’s documentary film about chef and cultural icon Anthony Bourdain, sparked a heated debate last summer when Read more
September 25, 2021 Licenses and Rights in the Post-COVID Festival Landscape BY Steven C. Beer & Neil J. Rosini Read more
May 13, 2021 Recording Phone Calls for a Documentary; Postmortem Right of Publicity When may a documentary producer record a telephone call or conversation? On January 2, 2021, former President Trump and his counsel called Georgia Read more
February 6, 2021 Documenting Legal Cases: Pros and Potential Pitfalls Criminal prosecutions and civil litigation can make compelling subjects for documentarians. Indeed, documentary films that have used legal cases as a Read more
October 24, 2020 Liability Claims in the COVID Era; Legal Protections for Journalists; Precautions against Defamation By Julie Angell, Steven C. Beer & Neil J. Rosini Read more
June 13, 2020 Copyright and Public Domain: An Updated Primer By Sheila Curran Bernard and Kenn Rabin Editor’s Note: This article is adapted from the second edition of Bernard and Rabin’s Archival Storytelling: Read more
June 11, 2020 Beyond Vetting - Common Legal Issues for Documentary Filmmakers Vetting—the process of reviewing scripts and footage to address legal concerns prior to a documentary film’s release—generally occurs at (or toward) Read more
June 10, 2020 Three Angles on VOD: Geoblocking; Finding a Distributor; The DIY Route By Steven Beer, Neil Rosini & Julie Angell How can geoblocking impact the video-on-demand marketplace? Geoblocking technology restricts access to Read more
March 21, 2020 California's AB5 Poses Challenges for Independent Documentary Makers Since AB5 (Assembly Bill 5) took effect in California on January 1, 2020, documentary filmmakers have found themselves facing drastically increased Read more
March 6, 2020 Shielding Sources and Outtakes from Subpoenas: A 'Reporter's Privilege' Primer for Documentary Filmmakers Subpoenas demanding that documentary filmmakers reveal confidential sources, or disclose their outtakes, notes or other unpublished work product pose Read more