Copyright
Simpsons is one of Australia's leading copyright law firms with a unique breadth and depth of experience.
Service Areas & Representative Work
- Advising both songwriters and music publishing companies on the creation, ownership and licensing of rights in music
- Acting for Netflix in relation to a copyright licence scheme proposed by APRA AMCOS in the Copyright Tribunal
- Drafting and negotiating publishing contracts with authors and illustrators
- Advising on disputes concerning payments distributed by copyright collecting societies (including in relation to distributions from Screenrights, Copyright Agency and ASDACS)
- Advising film & TV financiers on chain-of-title, clearances and releases
- Drafting and negotiating documentation to deal with copyright issues for museums and galleries – including in deeds of gift, purchase agreements, co-exhibition agreements, copyright licences and touring agreements
- Advising museums and galleries on copyright aspects of online exhibitions and catalogues
- Advising brand owners on the registration of logos and artwork as a trade mark, and prosecuting such applications in Australia and overseas
- Advising performers on promotion, sponsorship and merchandising agreements
- Advising and acting in anti-counterfeiting and anti-piracy matters
- Acting in high-profile music copyright infringement cases in Australia and New Zealand in relation to the unauthorised use of music in political campaigns (for Universal Music Publishing against politician Clive Palmer in relation to Twisted Sister’s We’re Not Gonna Take It, and for Eight Mile Style (owner of Eminem’s Lose Yourself) against the New Zealand National Party
- Acting for Larrikin Music in the seminal music copyright case involving Kookaburra Sits In The Old Gum Tree, and successfully defending appeals to the Full Court of the Federal Court and the High Court of Australia
We have acted in many of Australia’s most high-profile and precedent setting copyright cases across the Entertainment and Arts sectors.
The firm has written and contributed to numerous books and articles on the commercialisation of copyright including the industry reference text Music Business. Shane Simpson wrote the Federal Government's Review of the Australian Copyright Collecting Societies (Simpson Report). We are actively engaged in the shaping of copyright policy with our clients in a range of industries.
From creation and commercialisation to enforcement and litigation, our team advises a broad range of clients on all aspects of copyright. The firm has developed a particular expertise in the exercise of copyright in the entertainment, media, technology and arts sectors.
Our team of experienced commercial lawyers and litigators combine specialist legal expertise with deep commercial knowledge built up over years of working with clients in the Entertainment and Arts sectors. The lead partners are Adam Simpson and Jules Munro.
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