Intellectual property

Film and audiovisual

Producing and distributing an audiovisual work is the outcome of substantial work by many participants: authors, directors, performers, producers, broadcasters, distributors. At each stage of the project, everyone must protect their interests, under intellectual property law as well as under the industry's own customs.

MOSAIK advises all of these players, for film, television and online streaming platforms.

Your contracts, from writing to release

The firm drafts and negotiates the contracts that mark out the life of an audiovisual work:

  • option agreements and rights assignment agreements;
  • co-production and co-development agreements;
  • director, performer and technician agreements;
  • assignments of tapes, masters and neighboring rights;
  • distribution and synchronization agreements;
  • agent and manager agreements;
  • sub-publishing agreements.

Understanding what you are signing

Industry contracts have their own vocabulary and mechanisms. MOSAIK makes them clear to you before you sign:

  • the different forms of remuneration and how they compare: session fees, flat fees, variable remuneration, guaranteed minimums, advances;
  • the precise scope of the rights assigned, mode of exploitation by mode of exploitation, and the remuneration attached to each;
  • royalty accounting clauses, which determine your ability to monitor how the work is actually exploited.

A poorly defined assignment commits your future: our role is to make sure you know exactly what you are assigning, to whom, for how long and for what remuneration.

Collective management of your rights

MOSAIK assists you in managing your rights with the industry's collective management organizations: the SACD for dramatic authors, the SCAM for multimedia authors, the SAI for performers, as well as the bodies managing producers' rights. Membership, registration of works, distributions and challenges: the firm secures every step.

In the event of a dispute

Non-compliant exploitation, unpaid remuneration, a co-production gone wrong, infringement of your rights: the firm deploys the appropriate remedies, from a formal demand letter to a saisie-contrefaçon (a court-ordered infringement seizure to gather evidence) and proceedings before the specialized courts, on an emergency basis when the release schedule requires it.

Frequently asked questions

What does the guaranteed minimum (MG) mean in an audiovisual contract?

The guaranteed minimum is an amount you receive regardless of how successful the exploitation turns out to be, generally paid in advance and then set off against your proportional remuneration. Its amount and the conditions under which it is recouped are key points in the negotiation.

Exactly which rights am I assigning when I sign?

It all depends on the contract: each mode of exploitation (theatrical release, television, platforms, foreign markets, merchandising) must be itemized, together with the corresponding remuneration. An assignment that is too broad or poorly defined can deprive you of revenue for years. It is the first point we check.

What are the SACD and the SCAM for?

They are French collective management organizations: they collect and distribute certain remuneration owed to audiovisual authors. The firm assists you in your dealings with these bodies, from membership to challenging distributions.