Copyright and publishing Law

We advise national and international clients on copyright law at every level of developing, producing and exploitatin of creative works. New content in innovative exploitation forms create new chances and challenges to everyone involved, e.g. new production and exploitation media such aus ebook, download, social networks, regarding questions of remuneration, unknown usages, up to legal challenges resulting from complex production relationships and growing international networks or the “archive” issue.

Our clients portfolio comprises individual artists, such as photographers, designers, illustrators, authors, actors, composers and musicians, theaters and stage companies, as well as advertising, publicrelations and event agencies and exploitation companies. In addition we councel a variety of unions such as Freelens (photographers), Freeschreiber (journalists), RFI (agents of photographers and illustrators), Illustratorenverband (illustrators) and Verband Deutscher Sportjournalisten (sports journalists).

Regard publishing law we advise on verification and protection of titles, the development of new book series, creation and production of content, which includes the work of authors and translators, the graphical and illustratorial layouts, placement of authors and publishers or media companies via agents, the contractual conditions of publishing houses and the license agreements and the conditions of further use of the content in related media such aus film, TV, Musicals, games, merchandising, audio books, events etc.

Our expertise results from 20 years of experience as counsels and agents for bestseller and many other authors and institutions as well as publishing houses. But the attorneys of our law office are not only involved as attorneys but also as mediators and indipedant publishers as and as counsels of Norddeutscher Landesverband des Börsenvereins des deutschen Buchhandels (north german union of bookselling traders). More than 50 lectures on publishin law and related fields of law on the occasions of book fairs such as Frankfurt/Main for publishers, authors, agents, translators and productioners show the strong connection between the work as an attorney and councelling as well as advise on practical and legal actions. All of this is supplemented by the long time engagement of one of the partens as a lecturer for copyright and publishing law at the University of Hamburg.

We also advise on the law of collecting societys such as VG Wort, VG Bild und Kunst or GEMA and the related fields of law of Künstlersozialversicherung (social insurance for artists) from the membership to the Künstlersozialabgabe (fee on social insurance for artists).