Media Law
Publishing, Media & Entertainment Law Solicitors
Trusted legal counsel for creative and media businesses.
Media Law
Trusted Legal Counsel for Creative and Media Businesses
Our Publishing, Media & Entertainment team works alongside creators, rights-holders, brands, producers and investors throughout the full content lifecycle. From early-stage development and commissioning to finance, distribution and dispute resolution, we deliver clear, commercially focused advice shaped by the realities of today’s creative economy.
We support publishers, authors, literary agents, production companies, broadcasters, platforms and investors, providing joined-up guidance that protects intellectual property, manages regulatory exposure and keeps projects moving.
Who we act for
- Publishers and authors
- Literary agents
- Production companies and broadcasters
- Platforms and distributors
- Brands and agencies
- Investors and financiers
Practice Areas
Publishing Law
The publishing landscape has transformed rapidly. Print publishing now sits alongside e-books, audiobooks, podcasts and digital-first platforms, and the shift shows no sign of slowing. We help clients navigate this evolving ecosystem, ensuring they exploit rights effectively while remaining protected as technology and consumer behaviour continue to change.
We advise across trade, educational and specialist publishing, and work on commercial arrangements covering fiction, non-fiction and children’s publishing. Our team is also recognised for its experience in book-to-screen transactions and the cross-media development of literary properties.
Publishing Services
- Author, illustrator and ghostwriting agreements
- Literary agent contracts
- Commercial publishing and royalty arrangements
- Digital publishing deals: e-books, audiobooks, podcasts and platform agreements
- Literary estates and succession planning
- Copyright ownership, licensing and enforcement
- Libel, privacy, data protection and pre-publication review
- Supplier and distribution agreements
- Merchandising and brand licensing
- Book-to-screen options and adaptation agreements
- Publishing disputes, including contract and royalty claims
Practice Areas
Film & Television
We advise across every stage of film and television development, production and exploitation. Our lawyers understand the pressures producers, talent and financiers face, which allows us to offer guidance that is legally robust, commercially realistic and responsive to fast-moving productions.
Our clients span drama, factual, entertainment and animation across all budget levels. We work with producers, production companies, broadcasters, platforms, distributors, sales agents, financiers, talent and rights-holders.
Film & TV Services
- Option agreements and development deals
- Writer, director, producer, composer and talent agreements
- First-look and output deals
- Co-production structures and joint ventures
- International co-production treaties, incentives and subsidies
- Film and TV finance: equity, debt, pre-sales and EIS structures
- Shareholder and investment agreements
- Chain of title, E&O and clearance reviews
- Sales agency and distribution agreements
- Carriage agreements (cable, satellite, IPTV, VOD)
- Ofcom regulation, channel applications and content compliance
- Litigation relating to rights, finance, production and distribution
Practice Areas
Brands, Marketing & Image Rights
We support brands, agencies, talent and rights-holders across the creation, protection and commercialisation of intellectual property in advertising and marketing. Our work covers traditional campaigns and major digital activity, from influencer partnerships to experiential brand activations.
We work closely with our corporate and employment teams on transactions, restructurings, start-ups and MBOs, ensuring seamless support.
Brand & Marketing Services
- Master services agreements and agency terms
- Production, freelancer and event management contracts
- Brand protection: trade marks, copyright and design rights
- Sponsorship, merchandising and endorsement agreements
- Image rights development and exploitation
- Licensing of music, film and creative content
- Advertising data protection and privacy compliance
- Regulatory guidance under advertising codes and consumer law
Practice Areas
Digital Media & Content
We advise on online content, digital distribution models and platform-based businesses. This includes data protection, online safety, platform liability, content regulation and cross-border exploitation. Our experience spans streaming platforms, social media, gaming, digital publishing and emerging technologies.
Our digital media experience spans
- Streaming platforms
- Social media
- Gaming
- Digital publishing
- Emerging technologies
Practice Areas
Disputes, Regulation & Reputation
We provide strategic, commercially aware advice on contentious and regulatory matters affecting media, publishing and entertainment clients.
Our litigation capability allows us to identify risk early, resolve disputes efficiently and protect both commercial position and reputation.
Our work includes
- Copyright and intellectual property disputes
- Defamation, libel and privacy claims
- Data protection and regulatory investigations
- Contractual and royalty disputes
- Pre-publication and pre-broadcast risk assessment
Why Choose Us
Lawyers Who Understand Creative Industries
We act on high-value, high-profile and technically complex matters across media, publishing and entertainment. Clients instruct us because we pair industry intelligence with commercial clarity and a pragmatic approach.
What Sets Us Apart
- Genuine sector expertise – We advise across publishing, film, television, digital media, brands and marketing for authors, producers, publishers, broadcasters, platforms and global brands.
- Decisive, commercial advice – We focus on facilitating deals, protecting value and aligning every recommendation with your risk profile and commercial aims.
- Support across the entire lifecycle – From concept and financing to exploitation, compliance and disputes, we remain involved throughout.
- Strength in complex transactions – Co-productions, international financing, book-to-screen arrangements and rights-heavy deals are core areas of our practice.
- Integrated legal capability – Our media specialists work hand-in-hand with corporate, IP, litigation, employment and regulatory teams.
- Proactive risk management – Our contentious experience shapes our preventive advice, ensuring issues are addressed before they escalate.
Working With Us
A Strategic Partner for the Creative Industries
Creative and media businesses operate in fast-moving, highly competitive environments. Our role is to protect value, unlock opportunity and offer clarity when legal and commercial issues become complex. If you are seeking publishing, media or entertainment lawyers with industry insight and commercial precision, we would be pleased to work with you.
Get in touch
- Call: 01273 673 226
- Email: [email protected]
- Confidential consultation available
- Advice across the full content lifecycle