Arts + Crafts, Entainment and Fashion

Legal + Business Affairs

We set up this business with the cultural sector in mind. We have gained a reputation for providing timely, pragmatic advice and guidance to individuals and organisations in the arts, crafts, entertainment, and fashion industries. We understand the needs, challenges and realities of these sectors. Our team are friendly, approachable and able to help you with whatever you’re trying to create, achieve or resolve.

Arts + Crafts

We advise individual artists, photographers and curators as well as galleries, large and small. We also work with emerging businesses and start-ups. We can help you with commercial agreements, charity rules and regulations, copyright licences, data protection, design rights, trademarks and branding, employment rules and regulations, website policies and all other regulatory matters relevant to the sector.

We draft and negotiate contracts including commissioning agreements, management and agency agreements, terms of sale, and we also advise on copyright, design rights, moral rights, and artists’ resale rights. We can assist you with writing applications for charitable status, issues relating to structure and governance, and drafting policies and procedures that galleries and other arts organisations may need to have in place.

Some examples of our recent work include:

  • Drafting an application for charitable status for an established contemporary gallery
  • Negotiating a commissioning agreement for an award-winning artist
  • Assisting galleries with applications for Immunity from Seizure protection
  • Advising trustees involved in a dispute

Live Performance + Entertainment

We advise script writers, theatres, dance companies, production companies, venues, managers and agents. We can help you with rights acquisition, commissioning agreements, production agreements, contracts relating to the production and dealing with creative teams. We can also assist with creative start-ups, collaborations, venue hire, and structural changes to your organisation.

We draft and negotiate contracts including funding agreements, production agreements and licenses for the use and performance of work. We can assist you with writing applications for charitable status, issues relating to structure and governance, and drafting policies and procedures that theatres and other performing arts organisations need to have in place.

Some examples of our recent work include:

  • Conducting a board away day for a group of regional theatres
  • Preparing global licensing agreements for an immersive theatre group
  • Acquiring the underlying rights to perform songs in a new musical
  • Settling a dispute between a production company and theatre
  • Incorporating an emerging dance company and applying for charitable status

Fashion

We act for independent fashion designers and craftspeople, and we also advise small to medium sized houses and boutiques.  We can help with commercial and business agreements, sponsorship, trademarks and branding, design rights and general rights management.

We draft and negotiate contracts including those for bespoke work and general terms and conditions of sale. We can help to register your designs and trademarks and can also help you when rights are infringed. We can deal with import and export contracts too.

We always provide advice that is pragmatic, cost effective and appropriate.

Some examples of our recent work include:

  • Advising an independent designer whose work was infringed by a luxury brand
  • Preparing contracts for the sale of bespoke clothing
  • Registering global IP rights for a well-known designer
  • Registering designs for jewellery

    Call us during office hours if you would like to speak to us

    (44) 0330 127 1414

    Send us an email at any time of the day

    Or you can write to us

    Registered Office: ACERO, 1 Concourse Way, Sheffield, S1 2BJ

     

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    Understanding the Supreme Court Ruling on “Sex” in the Equality Act 2010 for Cultural Organisations

    Keith Arrowsmith explains the impact of the recent UK Supreme Court ruling on the definition of sex in the equality legislation for cultural organisations, and concludes that the results might not be as clear as others have made out.