Introduction
How can an entertainment law firm help animators and animation companies? Here are some of the ways Edwards Creative Law helps animators:
Option Agreements
Have you been offered an option agreement by a production company for your creative concept? We help animators understand the rights they are being asked to provide, and negotiate terms such as the duration of the option period, the option fee (amount and payment terms), the work being done during the development phases, and the roles and fees should the project proceed.
For more information, here’s our option agreement blog.
Service Agreements
You have a small animation team and you been offered the opportunity to provide your team’s services to another production company’s project? Perhaps a producer has obtained financing to produce a series but needs your expertise, people, tools and talents to create the animation. We help animators and small animation teams review and negotiate the service agreements they’re asked to sign, including important issues such as rights, compensation, cash flow, rights to future work, credit, etc.
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Co-Creator Agreements
Are you developing a new concept with a fellow animator? We help creators draft and review agreements outlining the rights and obligations of each party to ensure everyone is on the same page, and you can focus on developing a great new idea.
Co-Production Agreements
Are you considering co-producing a project with another company? When is the appropriate time to enter into a short-form memo of understanding or a full-fledged co-production agreement? We help animation companies with these issues, and help to draft and review these agreements, including relevant clauses covering rights and responsibilities of each partner.
For more information, here’s our co-production agreement tips blog.
Cast / Crew Agreements
It’s important to have agreements with everyone who works on your production. For most people you hire, the agreement is simply a way to ensure you’re on the same page about fees and to ensure that you obtain the IP rights that are created by the people you hire. Just as important, these agreements should set out the process of terminating the relationship, either because the work is completed or because it’s not working out. Written agreements help you to avoid disputes but if a dispute develops the agreement should also provide a process to resolve it.
For more information, here’s our blog on the topic of gathering rights and waiving moral rights.
Distribution and Sales Agency Agreements
We help animation companies negotiate agreements with distributors and sales agents. Some red flags to look for are inconsistencies between what you are promised and what the distributor or sales agent is willing to put in the agreement, excessive, broadly defined or uncapped expenses, insufficient reporting obligations, audit rights, and termination rights if the distributor or sales agent is not working the property or fails to report or remit on a timely basis.
For more information, here’s our blog on the topic of gathering rights and waiving moral rights
Service Agreements
Looking to hire another company to provide services for your project? This is the other side of what we described in $2 above. Some of the areas we focus on when we’re acting for the producer it the statement of work, capturing rights, delivery, schedule, fees, change requests, delays and, most important, termination rights if the service provider just isn’t delivering on time, on quality and on budget.
For more information, here’s our blog covering ten service agreements tips
Going Global
Our managing partner and firm founder, Mark Edwards, has also been an animation and game producer – producing over $50M of animated television series and millions of dollars of games. Among the television series, many were international audio-visual treaty co-productions. We provide legal services to international parties, seeking to work with Canadian partners on international audio-visual treaty co-productions as well as projects seeking funding from co-development incentives, such as the international fund Canada Media Fund (CMF) has with a number of other countries – most recently, South Africa’s National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF).
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© 2018 Edwards Creative Law, LLP
Updated to April 11, 2022
Edwards Creative Law is Canada’s Entertainment Law Boutique™, providing legal services to Canadians, and international clients who partner with Canadians, in the Music, Film & Television, Animation, Interactive Digital Media, Game, Publishing and Software industries.
For more information or to set up a minute Discovery Call with one of our entertainment lawyers please feel free to Contact Us.
* This blog is for general informational purposes only and is not to be construed as legal advice. Please contact Edwards Creative Law or another lawyer, if you wish to apply these concepts to your specific circumstances.
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