Film and Television Distribution and the Internet: A Legal Guide for the Media Industry

There is no area of business that is more dramatically affected by the explosion of web-based services delivered to computers, PDAs and mobile phones than the film and television industries. The web is creating radical new ways of marketing and delivering television and film content; one that draws in not simply traditional broadcasters and producers but a whole new range of organizations such as news organizations, web companies and mobile phone service providers. This companion volume to Andrew Sparrow's Music Distribution and the Internet: A Legal Guide for the Music Business focuses on the practical application of UK and EU law as it applies to the distribution of television and film through the internet. This includes terms of contract and copyright as they affect studios, broadcasters, sales agents, distributors, internet service providers, film financiers, and online film retailers; as well as areas such as the licensing of rights. It also covers the commercial aspects of delivering film and television services to a customer base, including engaging with new content platforms, strategic agreements with content aggregators, protecting and exploiting intellectual property rights, data and consumer protection, and payment, online marketing and advertising. The opportunities for companies operating in this area are extraordinary (as are the legal implications) and Andrew Sparrow's highly practical guide provides an excellent starting point for navigating through what is a complex area of regulation, contract, copyright and consumer law.

Contents: The impact of the internet on film and television distribution; Online contracts for the sale of film titles and merchandise; Website Terms and Conditions for the supply of film DVDs and other film merchandise over the internet; The Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002; Protecting and exploiting intellectual property rights in online film and television content; The marketing of film and merchandise online; Collecting online data about film-buying audiences; The Distance Selling Regulations and online film and merchandise sales; Paying for film downloads; Engaging with new content platforms; Strategic agreements between the online film company and content aggregators; Online advertising and promotion of film and television titles and merchandise; Electronic signatures and online film sales; Disability discrimination issues for film and television websites; Whose law applies to internet film sales; The Audiovisual Media Services Directive; Bibliography; Index.