The combination of our new and traditional media expertise and Bird & Bird’s unique heritage and leading position in technology and communications make us ideally placed to help our clients to navigate this dynamic, fast-changing media landscape.
We understand the need for media players to diversify in order to step up to the challenges and opportunities of digital media.
Our creative and practical solutions help our clients to achieve real commercial advantage.
On both domestic and international matters, our team offers a full range of legal services.
Focus on R&D tax incentives
A significant number of countries now offer the critical operational pre-requisites for conducting research and development (R&D), i.e ., access to growing markets/customer base, access to talent, intellectual property protection, stable economy/government and IT infrastructure. This has led many countries to promote relocation of R&D operations to their country as part of their innovation-led economic development strategies. R&D tax incentives are an important component of these strategies and thus tax competition amongst European countries in respect of IP and related activities has become increasingly the norm.
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Copyright levy: the new criteria of the Italian Ministry Decree of June 20, 2014
On 8 July this year, the Decree of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Tourism – the Decree - (dated June 20, 2014) entered into force. The Decree updates for the next three years the copyright levy applicable to the records of phonograms and videos used by private subjects, as foreseen by the Italian Copyright Law,. Further to the Decree's introduction, SIAE, the Italian collecting society, has recently published the charts from which businesses subject to the levy obligations could calculate and pay the relevant amount to SIAE.
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Sponsorship - the golden goal of advertisement?
IP & IT analysis: How can sponsors protect their rights? Craig Giles, a senior associate in the sport and media groups of Bird & Bird LLP, advises on the practical issues concerning sponsorship of major international sporting events.
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What are the potential legal issues to consider when filming a documentary in the UAE?
Media lawyer Saarah Badr, discusses the key legal issues around filming a documentary in the UAE.
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Broadcasting: Post-Murphy: the territorial TV sports licensing landscape
This article looks at the impact the European Commission inquiry into TV licensing arrangements with Hollywood film studios could have on sport’s TV licensing model. Craig Giles, an Associate with Bird & Bird, refreshes memories on the position regarding territorial licensing of sports content following the Court of Justice of the European Union’s (CJEU) ruling in the Murphy case. He also examines the application of the CJEU ruling by the UK courts, the next wave of FAPL action in the wake of the ruling and issues around commercial subscriptions to overseas broadcasters and whether their sale is being restricted.
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European Parliament votes for compulsory "Made in …" labels
In April 2014 The European Parliament voted that manufacturers should be required to label all non-food goods with their country of origin. The new law will not only make the labelling mandatory, it may also change well-established rules already in place in several member states of the EU.
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CJEU decision in Meltwater – the internet is saved, browsing does not require a licence
The CJEU today handed down its judgment in the Meltwater case, Public Relations Consultants Association Ltd (PRCA) v The Newspaper Licensing Agency Limited and Others (NLA), holding that on-screen and cached copies of websites generated by end-users in the course of browsing may be made without the authorisation of copyright holders.
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Digital killed the television star
It has always been tricky to identify and target audience demographics in TV advertising. "Spray and pray" is how Yahoo’s chief of sales, Wenda Harris Millard, recently summarised the position. The advertising business was built on top of network television. Traditionally, advertisers could reach the majority of viewers by buying prime time slots on 2 or 3 channels.
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