Entertainment and Media
About the Group
Matheson Ormsby Prentice was the first Irish law firm to establish a dedicated entertainment and media law group. The Group is headed by James Hickey, who has over 20 years experience working exclusively in the area of entertainment law.
The Entertainment and Media Law Group is dedicated to the areas of film and television production and music and entertainment law generally. Members of the Group have advised on such Academy award winning/nominated films as “My Left Foot” starring Daniel Day Lewis and “The Field” starring Richard Harris, as well as in connection with music performers such as U2 and The Chieftains.
The group advises clients on the contractual and financing arrangements for feature films and television programming, as well as dealing with the contractual arrangements for the talent and other participants in those production activities. We also advise on legal issues arising from music business, recording and music publishing agreements, as well as advising copyright collection societies and generally in the area of copyright law.
The group has extensive experience in advising media publishers and broadcasters in relation to all aspects of the law affecting libel, contempt of court, freedom of expression, privacy laws and related matters. We act for major publishers and broadcasters in relation to the ongoing defence of media related litigation against those publishers as well as against major newspaper titles.
We were ranked as one of the leading Entertainment and Media law firms in Ireland by the European Legal 500 2008.
Representative Transactions
Feature Film Production
- The Wind that Shakes the Barley, directed by Ken Loach and starring Cillian Murphy
- Breakfast on Pluto, directed by Neil Jordan
- Tara Road, starring Andie McDowell
- King Arthur, starring Keira Knightley
- Intermission, with Colin Farrell and Colm Meaney
- Laws of Attraction, with Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore
- In America, directed by Jim Sheridan
- The Good Thief, directed by Neil Jordan
- The Count of Monte Cristo, starring Guy Pearce
- Song for a Raggy Boy, starring Aidan Quinn
- In the Name of the Father, directed by Jim Sheridan
- The Dead, directed by John Houston
- Braveheart, starring Mel Gibson
- Dancing at Lughnasa, starring Meryl Streep
- A Love Divided, starring Liam Cunningham and Orla Brady
- Night Train, starring John Hurt and Brenda Blethyn
- Angela’s Ashes, directed by Alan Parker
- About Adam, directed by Gerard Stembridge
- Salt Water, directed by Connor McPherson
- Nora, starring Ewan McGregor and Susan Lynch
- On the Nose, starring Dan Ackroyd and Robbie Coltrane
In all of these cases we acted for the producers or the Irish co-producers, advising on the financing and contractual aspects of the production including Section 481 investments, dealing with the Irish Film Board, with broadcasters, distributors, sales agents and the talent.
Television Series
The group has worked on television series including Amongst Women, starring Tony Doyle, Falling for A Dancer, starring Liam Cunningham and Ballykissangel. Ballykissangel is an Irish/British co-production for the BBC. The Group also worked on Random Passage which is an Irish Canadian co-production involving CBC and RTE. We have also advised Irish producers who have entered into co-production agreements with French and German co-producers who are funded by broadcasters in those territories.
Broadcasting Regulation
The Group has advised television and radio broadcasters dealing with the IRTC as well as FMI (the film and television producers representative organisation) in connection with its dealings with the RTE Authority. The advent of the new Broadcasting Act will provide a more competitive regulatory environment for broadcasters and the Group is already advising clients extensively in this area.
Music and Live Entertainment
The group has advised the producers of Riverdance The Show, since it commenced production in 1995. The Group also advises the composer of the music for Lord of the Dance, record companies such as Claddagh Records and copyright collection societies including IMRO and MCPS Ireland.
Talent Advice and Representation
The Group advises on rights arrangements in relation to creative talent involved in audio and audio-visual work including individual producers, directors, writers, rights owners, book publishing houses, actors and music composers, TV presenters and content service providers, particularly when dealing with broadcasters, financiers, publishers and distributors of their works.
Film Industry Review Group Report
The Film Industry Review Group, appointed by the Minister for the Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Sile de Valera, in June of 1998, issued its final report in September, 1999. James Hickey was one of the members of the Film Industry Review Group.