The Walking Dead: Is AMC’s License Fee “Improper” and “Outrageous”?
In a pending lawsuit, writer/director Frank Darabont, creator of the
Harlequin e-Books Royalty Case: A Dollar or a Dime?
In entertainment and media, sometimes business practices evolve more quickly than standard contracts. As recently as 2004, Harlequin Enterprises, the leading publisher of romance novels, did not specify a royalty rate for e-books in its author agreements. Rather, e-book sales were lumped into an “other rights” category originally intended for book clubs and other activities […]
Crash Profits Restated; Court Responds with “Big Interest”
Can a film company issue a participation statement, then later revise and reissue it, making major changes in its favor? If the changes are decidedly wrong, can there be consequences? Profit definitions typically give film companies an express right to correct mistakes, even retroactively. After all, mistakes get made. But on January 31, a California […]
Spamalot Profits and the Holy Grail: What is a Python’s Share?
Did the Pythons take a funny position? In 1974, the iconic British comedy troupe Monty Python scored big with their breakout movie, Monty Python and the Holy Grail (herein, Grail), produced by Mark Forstater and others. In 2005, they scored again, with Spamalot, the Broadway musical adaptation of Grail. When it came to profits of Grail, producer Forstater, under the […]
Motion Picture Investing: Avoiding Basic Mistakes
Sometimes, financiers from outside the entertainment industry seem to think: “I’ve succeeded in [real estate, tech, oil, fill-in-the-blank]. So I can make money in movies.” Then, too often, they invest and fail. Their mistakes typically involve both their business plans and (yes) their metaphysics. Common mistakes include: (1) departing from the business plan without good […]
Napoleon Dynamite Litigation: Pick the Correct Video Royalty
Participation reporting for certain media and uses can be idiosyncratic. Multiple Choice Question: Cult phenomenon Napoleon Dynamite generated a phenomenal $139 million in DVD sales in its first few years of release. What percentage of this amount did distributor Fox Searchlight share with the movie’s producers? A. 100% B. 31% C. 12.88% D. 10% E. zero For […]
Another $300 Million for Guitar Hero Purchase; When is a Statement Final?
Eager buyers often overpay for entertainment assets. Add a problematic earn-out[1] and the possibility of overpayment increases. In the latest Guitar Hero case[2], the problem was that an earn-out statement became final against Viacom, the purchaser of videogame company Harmonix Music Systems, notwithstanding a sudden, rapid decline in the value of Harmonix’s game inventory. If you’re in […]
Does America Bomb Academy Award Winners? Ten Things to Learn from Iran’s A Separation
Iran is back, center stage…The diminutive president in the ill-fitting suits…The Supreme Leader with the hat and the beard . . . The techs, in lab coat, who are splitting the…ATOM ! What’s missing from this seemingly evergreen news story is a clear sense of what, behind the official façade, Iran is really like. One […]
Spike Lee Wins €32 M Judgment vs French Media Giant TF1; Hidden Risks of Financing Auteur Filmmakers
On June 21 of this year, a French court awarded Spike Lee and associated plaintiffs a judgment against French media giant TF1 in the amount of €32 million which, at current conversion rates, is approximately US $43 million. The Court ruled that TF1 had wrongfully rejected delivery of Lee’s film Miracle At St. Anna (hereafter, […]
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
In an integrated production, distribution and broadcast company like ABC/Disney, which division makes the profits?[1] Contestants who appear on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire play to win a million dollars. Now Celador Productions, the show’s creator, has successfully upheld a jury verdict in its favor of more than $319 million against the ABC Network. […]