The most prominent cases in the history of entertainment law have surrounded immensely famous, often controversial celebrities, and sometimes focused on events that occurred decades in the past.
Although such cases may be at the forefront of your mind when thinking about entertainment law, this legal realm is not just for world-renowned celebrities. Artists, musicians, and increasingly, social media influencers, keep up with issues related to this section of the legal system with the help of entertainment lawyers.
If you’re an influencer, thinking of becoming one, or simply want to stay in the know on important issues that affect social media users, here are two areas of interest.
Not All Publicity Is Legal Publicity
One of today’s top entertainment lawyers, John Branca, describes his role in public relations for clients as, to a degree, trying to portray and convey who the artist really is, as opposed to who the press, or the media, think they are.
This can be a difficult task when lots of media sources are making condemning reports about someone in the spotlight. In this video, Branca contends that one challenge of negative publicity is that big-name news sources sometimes prioritize increasing readership over truthful investigation and reporting.
This is a concern for influencers because the greater their following becomes, the more vulnerable they are to widespread rumors, judgment from followers, and serious damage to their reputation.
Entertainment lawyers can be a huge help when influencers face bad publicity that counts as defamation or false, reputation-damaging claims spoken or written about someone. They can also help clients avoid legal trouble around this.
The Fine Print in Influencer Agreements
If you’re active on Instagram, you’re probably accustomed to seeing sponsored posts by influencers that gush about makeup, skincare products, and even hotels and spas. These ads are a major way for influencers to earn money or access free products or services. In fact, as Instagram has grown as a platform in recent years, influencer marketing has become a multibillion-dollar industry.
Of course, these exchanges require legal agreementsbetween influencers and the companies they work with, and such agreements need to be clear about many crucial details: What should the post or posts contain? What compensation will the influencer receive? Can the influencer still make posts about other brands? What if the company wants access to the influencer’s social media account to track the post’s performance?
That’s where entertainment lawyers come in, they have the expertise to make sure contracts address all these matters and to negotiate any terms that don’t work for their clients.
Since the explosion of influencer marketing, the Federal Trade Commission has begun enforcing guidelines on how to make sponsored posts with honesty and transparency. Like contract negotiation, these regulations are complex, and the assistance of an entertainment lawyer can help influencers proceed with advertisements in a lucrative and totally legal way.
Influencers may not sing, act, or sell art, but they do work hard at their craft with massive audiences watching over them. The laws of entertainment apply to them too, then, and as their industry grows, so will their influence on the laws that affect them.
