Media

At Prince Lobel, our understanding of the media industry is far-reaching.  Our clients include national, regional and local media entities of all kinds:  newspapers, magazines, television and radio broadcasters, book publishers, cable television operators, advertising agencies, public relations firms, Internet sites and content providers – as well as writers, reporters, editors, producers, authors, and artists.  We not only represent media entities on First Amendment issues, but also provide counseling and litigation services regarding copyrights, trademarks and domain names.  We have particular expertise in counseling and defending our clients on the labor and employment issues unique to the media industry.  We also provide business and insurance law services to media clients.

Our Media Litigation and First Amendment Practice includes:

• Defense of libel, invasion of privacy, newsgathering, and related claims
• Prepublication and prebroadcast review
• Responding to subpoenas, including confidential source issues
• Public records and courtroom access and appeals
• Advertising, circulation, newsrack, and postal advice
• Training in libel prevention and other risk avoidance

Our Media Labor and Employment Practice includes:

• Counseling on hiring, wage and hour regulations, employee classification, discipline,  termination, and restructurings 
• Negotiating and drafting freelance agreements, commission and bonus plans, non-compete agreements, handbooks, and severance agreements
• Advising newspapers and others on union awareness and avoidance, campaigns and collective bargaining
• Defense of labor and employment-related claims
• Training and compliance audits

Our Intellectual Property and Internet Practice includes:

• Registering, protecting, and licensing copyrights, trademarks, and internet domain names
• Handling infringement claims and third-party subpoenas
• Proceedings under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (“UDRP”)
• Intellectual property and website audits
• Privacy policies, website terms of use, and DMCA and COPPA compliance

Our Media Business Practice includes:

• Organization and financing of business entities and joint ventures; tax issues
• Negotiating and drafting contracts with printers, distributors, advertisers, and others
• Agency, publishing and production contracts
• Sweepstakes compliance
• Insurance review and coverage disputes
• Advising family-owned businesses regarding estate planning and succession issues
• Ensuring compliance with Do Not Call and CAN-SPAM

Our Clients

The following list is representative of our media client base:

• Fox Television
• Metro Corp., including Boston and Philadelphia magazines
• Meredith Corp.
• Metro newspapers
• The Harvard Crimson
• New England Newspaper & Press Association
• The New York Times Co.

To find out more about how our attorneys can assist your media business, contact Robert A. Bertsche at rbertsche@PrinceLobel.com or 617 456 8018 or Joseph D. Steinfield at jsteinfield@PrinceLobel.com or 617 456 8015.