The media team, led by Alexandre Vuchot and Marc Schuler, accompanies television channels, radio operators, and the authors, producers and distributors of audiovisual or filmed works in protecting their rights and their development strategy
We have special expertise in issues relating to the founding of television channels in France and Europe in compliance with the principles of the Television Without Frontiers directive, and we handle all issues related to editorial obligations, as well as access to communication networks (“must carry” and “must offer” rules etc.)
We also play a role in negotiations between publishers and service distributors, in the acquisition and transfer of catalogues of audiovisual works (due diligence, title chains), as well as the financing, production, distribution and use of filmed works (video, video on demand).
The questions of interoperability of the various reading and recording devices as well as digital legal management tools today hold a key position in strategic planning not only for technology suppliers but also for the various players in the digital content distribution value chain. The transfer from broadcasting to narrowcasting and one-to-many mode to many-to-many mode (web 2.0) broadcasting, issues of mobility and high definition (HD) and digital broadcasting raise a number of new issues to which our teams can apply their extensive know-how.
The media sector involves a wide range of diverse legal issues, such as: intellectual property (copyright and performing rights), administrative law and competition law (national and EU); but also increasingly new technologies. The specialized lawyers on our media team have therefore developed a multi-disciplinary approach by industrial sector for the cases they handle, combining their expertise in the sector with the functions and know-how of the other team members; this approach makes it possible to have a good understanding of all aspects of a case. The media team works in close collaboration with the Intellectual Property team for the aspects and Benjamine Fiedler's team for labour law issues (regulations for journalists, contract workers in the performance industry, models).
Finally, we handle issues related both to the sector’s regulatory framework on advertising (regulated products, prohibited sectors), the various forms of advertising (patronage, product placement, short programmes etc.) as well as the development of advertising techniques, and more generally speaking, business communications. Our assistance also covers contractual aspects (agency-advertiser contracts, advertising agency contracts, advertising space purchasing agreements) as well as litigation, between partners or competitors (infringement proceedings, unfair competition proceedings, comparative advertising).
Once again this year, Bird & Bird was ranked as one of the leading law firms in France under the category “Media and Entertainment: Full-service firms” (Legal 500).
Contacts: Alexandre Vuchot - Marc Schuler