Hollywood and the Law

by McDonald, Paul; Carman, Emily; Hoyt, Eric; Drake, Philip

• ISBN13: 9781844574773
• ISBN10: 1844574776
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2015-12-04
• Publisher: British Film Institute

Summary

This illuminating collection shows how legal frameworks have shaped the culture and commerce of Hollywood film. Key experts in the field explore how legal instruments, processes and institutions have influenced the conditions in which films are made and sold, and how the film industry has left its own impression on the American legal system.

Author Biography

Paul McDonald is Professor of Cinema and Media Industries at the University of Nottingham, UK. He is the author of Video and DVD Industries, The Star System: Hollywood's Production of Popular Identities and Hollywood Stardom, and co-editor of The Contemporary Hollywood Film Industry.
 
Emily Carman is Assistant Professor of Film Studies in the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman University, USA. She is the author of Independent Stardom: Freelance Women in the Hollywood Studio System.
 
Eric Hoyt is Assistant Professor of Media and Cultural Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.
 
Philip Drake is Head of the Department of Media and Professor in Film, Media and Communications at Edge Hill University, UK.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Notes on Contributors 
Introduction: On the Legal Lives of Hollywood; Eric Hoyt, Paul McDonald, Emily Carman, Philip Drake
PART I: OWNERSHIP AND INFRINGEMENT
1. One Law to Rule Them All: Copyright Goes Hollywood; Peter Decherney
2. The Changing Landscape of Trademark Law in Tinseltown: From Debbie Does Dallas to The Hangover; John Tehranian and Mark Bartholomew
3. Piracy and the Shadow History of Hollywood; Paul McDonald
PART II: COMPETITION AND CIRCULATION
4. The Preservation of Competition: Hollywood and Antitrust Law; Jennifer Porst
5. Controlling Content: Governmental Censorship, the Production Code and the Ratings System; Laura Wittern-Keller
6. Hollywood Embassies, Labour and Investment Laws, and Global Cinema Exhibition: Ross Melnick
PART III: NEGOTIATION AND LABOUR
7. Asset or Liability?: Hollywood and Tax Law; Eric Hoyt
8. Doing the Deal: Talent Contracts in Hollywood; Emily Carman and Philip Drake
9. Will Work for Screen Credit: Labour and the Law in Hollywood; Catherine Fisk  
Index