Publishing

Publishing

The firm's extensive expertise in the publishing sector is derived from its leading reputation in the media and entertainment sectors.  Centred on the core intellectual property, libel and contractual/commercial expertise the firm advises a wide range of newspapers, magazines, music publishers and book publishers, as well as a number of authors, songwriters and literary agents.

Our Publishing Group covers the full range of contentious and non-contentious work, calling upon our expertise in the following areas: 

Defamation and Privacy

Our long-standing defamation and privacy team is recognised as a leader in this field.  We act for national newspapers, magazines and book publishers. In recent years have expanded our client base into the broader areas of media, including new media and the Internet.

The Group offers a complete service in all aspects of defamation and related areas including:

  • Pre-publication/pre-broadcast assistance
  • Libel & Slander
  • Breach of Confidence
  • Privacy
  • Contempt
  • Malicious Falsehood
  • Data Protection
  • Human Rights

Digital Rights

The protection, enforcement and exploitation of intellectual property rights is the key to the business of many, if not all, of our publishing clients.  This is particularly important as many of these clients rely on their IP rights and assets in the development of their new media products and services.

Film and TV

Davenport Lyons has one of the leading film and television practices in the UK and is top ranked in The Legal 500. The work of the Media Department is complemented by other departments, particularly the IP, Music, Corporate and Contentious Rights teams.

We are one of the few firms in the UK which can demonstrate strength in depth, in terms of clients and lawyers, in both film and television finance and film and television production.

The Film and TV department provides a wide range of media and entertainment related services including in particular:

  • The Department is particularly active in publishing, both off-shoots from our film and television practice, i.e., merchandising, novelisations and 'making-of' books and the like and traditional publishing acting for publishers, agents and writers
  • Advising individual agents and writers
  • Film and television production, distribution and business affairs as well as international co-productions
  • Music publishing and Sub-publishing
  • Film Soundtrack licensing

Corporate

The Corporate Department handles a broad range of company commercial work including the following:

  • Publishing agreements
  • Supply and distribution agreements
  • Agency agreements
  • Merchandising agreements
  • Terms and conditions of sale
  • Computer hardware and software agreements
  • Licensing and franchising agreements
  • Setting up new businesses
  • Employment contracts
  • Private company acquisitions and disposals
  • Acquisitions and disposals of publishing titles and businesses
  • Joint ventures and shareholders agreements
  • Corporate re-organisations

Employment

The Employment Department advises on a wide range of employment issues including:

  • Hiring and firing of staff
  • Employers' liability for libel
  • Email policies
  • Status of employees/independent contractors
  • Privacy in the workplace
  • Data Protection in the workplace
  • Human Rights in the workplace

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