Chain of title

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The chain of title , also known as a chain of rights , is a term from copyright law and describes the seamless proof of property rights for e.g. B. Music, novel, script, etc. for the acquisition or licensing of these copyrights.

definition

The chain of title is z. B. in film law the basis that co-producers, financiers and / or other exploiters (such as worldwide cinema and DVD and / or merchandising distributors) must have in order to be able to even attempt a film project. All finance-based production prospects must have a fully itemized, transparent review base before delving into the production of a film. With the help of the chain-of-title documents, you can check whether the rights of exploitation and use underlying the project have been optimally researched and acquired.

Creation

The works in question (novel, script, piece of music), their authors and / or rights holders must be checked and presented. It becomes difficult if a work has been revised (" optioned ") in the meantime , or if the authorship lies with different people or development contracts with so-called turnaround clauses (fallback clauses , which say that the rights revert to the producer when the planned project is not completed within a certain period) between several producers. The legal situation must be meticulously developed and broken down; if necessary, these must be transferred piece by piece to the other hand in exchange for financial reimbursement of the development costs. In the case of film music , the special case must be taken into account that this is usually only used shortly before the completion of the film, so that the use of individual pieces can only be made dependent on the finished film product after all other usage rights have already been clarified.

See also

literature

  • Wolfgang Brehm: Film Law. Practical manual . 1st edition, Bleicher Verlag, Gerlingen 2001, ISBN 3-88350-908-6 . (Series of publications: Produktionspraxis, Vol. 8; edited by Bastian Clevé ) pp. 41/244

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