Copyright Law
The German Copyright Act („Urheberrechtsgesetz”) protects a multitude of individuals, including authors, photographers, painters, musicians, actors and computer programmers, against unauthorised utilization of their works, performances and work results.
If work protected by copyright is utilized without authorization, the copyright holder may under certain conditions demand a cease-and-desist-declaration and claim damages. Additionally, the infringing party may be obliged to supply information how and to what extent it made unlawful use of the work. On the other hand, individuals sometimes wrongfully claim to be copyright holders and unlawfully demand compensation, although the utilisation of the work in question is legitimate.
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Copyright claims are often settled extrajudicially, thereby saving time and money. We provide legal advice for both settling claims in and out of court and for defence against copyright claims.
A wide variety of contracts exist in connection with movie-, TV- and music productions, due to the large number of persons involved (producers, actors, musicians, authors and directors come to mind). A wide array of legal questions has to be taken into consideration in the process of drafting and checking these contracts. It is our pleasure to assist you in assessing and successfully negotiating your contracts.
