08-08-2014

Czech law office KMVS supports filmmakers from development to distribution

By Petr Kůta

    PRAGUE: Today’s rapidly changing audiovisual environment presents filmmakers with new challenges in all areas of production and distribution including in the legal sector.

    KMVS is ready to help filmmakers who need specialised legal services from the development stage of their project all the way through to its distribution in cinemas. FNE spoke with KMVS partner Petr Kůta about some of the situations filmmakers may encounter and how KMVS can help.

    The Czech law office KMVS, located in the historical centre of Prague in the Czech Republic, is one of the leading specialists in the audiovisual sector. Founded in 2006 KMVS provides a wide scope of legal services but its main areas of specialization are intellectual property law (copyright and trademark law, in particular), media law, personality protection (including privacy and personal data protection), advertising law, and related spheres of legal regulation.

    KMVS services cover providing legal assistance in films (incl. feature films, documentaries, TV commercials etc.) and other audiovisual works’ production and exploitation in all consecutive phases.

    1. Development. Example: If you are developing a screenplay which includes references to controversial public figures, copyrighted, trademarked or otherwise legally protected works etc., and you are not sure to what extent you need permission to use such references we will work with you through the screenplay and advise you; if needed, we will help you to negotiate the necessary permissions.
    2. Pre-production. Example: If you need to negotiate and conclude some relatively complicated agreements with actors, film crew members, locations owners and so on we will help you to achieve the best deal and to clear all the rights in question.
    3. Production. Example: If something goes wrong during the shooting on location or production time schedule is far beyond the agreed limit we will advise you on how to legally settle the problem.
    4. Post-production. Example: The film’s external editing studio has artistically mutilated, in your view, the produced material and does not show a will to cooperate to undo the damage. We will help you to reach a satisfactory deal with the studio, or advise you on what legal means you possess to compel the studio to cooperate with you or to pay you the damages.
    5. Distribution. Example: You are distributing the film in TV and the TV operator, according to your opinion, exceeds the scope of license you gave to it by running your film through its VoD service, while claiming that this mean of use is covered by the contract as well as by the agreed flat remuneration. We will analyse the contract for you and according to our findings we shall advise you on possible solutions.

    In short: If you need legal help, don’t hesitate to contact us!

    We provide our legal services in Czech and in English.

    Sponsored by KMVS

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    For further information go to www.kmvs.cz or write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.