Many people understand that celebrities like musicians, artists, or comedians would need an entertainment lawyer to protect their intellectual property and defend them in the case of lawsuits. Most people don’t realize that some athletes might also benefit from hiring an entertainment lawyer. It can be difficult to decide when to hire a top attorney, like John Branca, for entertainment purposes as an athlete, but here are three scenarios when an athlete should recruit an entertainment lawyer.
1. The Athlete Will Be Featured In A Video Game
Popular sports video games sell millions of copies year after year, and the sports video game industry is known for being a lucrative one. Some athletes are featured in these video games as playable characters, and often this is due to a union deal between the video game company and the association the players are a part of.
If an athlete is featured on the cover of the game or lends their voice to a character, they will likely undergo contract negotiations, and this is often best facilitated through a lawyer.
2. The Athlete Guest Stars On TV Show
Many star athletes have made noteworthy cameos on TV shows of all kinds over the years. In these situations, many athletes opt to hire a separate entertainment lawyer that knows more about the industry than their current sports lawyer may know. This can also hold true if an athlete is in a movie or joins a YouTube star on their channel.
Many athletes over the years have transitioned to careers in acting, and most have likely sought help from an entertainment lawyer during that process.
3. The Athlete Will Be Featured On Merchandise
Some athletes’ faces are put onto T-shirts, posters, or other types of merchandise that fans can purchase. Like video games, this is often done as a deal through the players’ associations, but there are other situations where an athlete is given an independent merchandising offer.
Many athletes will have their sports lawyers handle the logistics of merchandising partnerships, but it can also be helpful to have an entertainment lawyer for these situations.
The Bottom Line
Athletes work hard to stay at the top of their game season after season, and they often don’t have much time to worry about legal topics and issues, especially when it doesn’t directly relate to their sport. As a result, it can be highly beneficial for athletes to hire an entertainment lawyer to represent them in these three instances and beyond.
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