Gordon Judge Solicitors, is a partnership with a broad range of expertise in finance, banking and security work.  We provide commercial and business law advice to clients in the film industry as well as a variety of clients in other commercial sectors.

We advise companies establishing in Ireland, whether to operate as a film production company for a single project to avail of the Section 481 tax and other benefits available to film production companies or on a more permanent basis.  We advise on legal structures to avail of the benefits of Section 481 and advise international financiers on the validity and enforceability against Irish entities of loan and credit agreements and the perfection of related security.

The firm was established by Gordon Judge who has a unique combination of experience gained within the film industry and from working as a commercial lawyer in private practice.  He has been working with the film industry both in Ireland and internationally for almost 20 years.

Film

From a legal perspective, contracts for the development, financing, production and exploitation of a film and its related rights comprise the entire life of a business compressed into a period of perhaps one or two years.  The legal issues will include:

• Company law relating to the establishment of the production company and the issuing of shares
• Copyright law for options to secure the underlying rights and rights acquired during production
• Employment law for cast, crew and related agreements
• Contract law as the underlying basis of all rights in the film and exploiting its value through distribution agreements
• Property law / licensing for locations
• Music law and intellectual property law governing a wide variety of rights incorporated in the film

Gordon Judge Solicitors has represented the interests of producers, financiers and providers of Section 481 finance on a wide range of film and television projects. The firm also has broad experience of film distribution and sales agency arrangements.

It is a fundamental for the purposes of financing a film that the contracts governing the underlying rights, whether these are based on an existing book or on an original idea or screenplay, are correctly drawn up.  Taking a short cut to save modest initial costs may be costly later.  We are therefore happy to talk to producers whose projects may be at an early stage of development to ensure that they can acquire the necessary rights to proceed to production.

Music

We have specialist knowledge of the use of music and other copyright works in films and the negotiation of international record licensing and distribution agreements.  The firm advises a number of independent artists and bands in their dealings with record labels, producers and managers.

We strongly urge producers to consider music at an early stage of the development of their film project allowing more accurate budgeting of the possible costs as well as a stronger negotiating position for specific tracks.

Free initial consultation