Find Lawyers in Toronto, Ontario for Entertainment Law

Practice Area Overview

Entertainment law is the set of legal activities servicing the various facets of the entertainment industries (which include the film and television business, music publishing, recording and live performance businesses, book publishing, and videogames). The area requires lawyers to practice at the intersection of dynamic business undertakings and various fields of law, including (but not limited to) copyright, corporate/commercial law, defamation, and tax.

Clientele ranges widely, from individual performers, creators, and producers to trans-national Hollywood studios, from the illustrators of comic books to some of the world’s most famous musical acts and projects range from low-budget filmed documentaries to multi-million dollar live theatrical productions.

Meeting the legal requirements of such a multi-faceted group of clients, who are embarking on such a wide range of potential activities, means drawing on knowledge of a wide range of legal areas, including labour and employment; corporate financing; intellectual property (particularly copyrights and trade-marks); media law (such as broadcasting regulations); and trade and competition law (including foreign investment rules which apply to culturally-sensitive businesses).

Entertainment lawyers are often called upon to structure and negotiate various types of arrangements for the acquisition and exploitation of a multiplicity of intellectual property rights – and sometimes are required to be involved in the litigation which may be necessary to protect such rights when they are infringed. Facilitating the licensing of various elements of intellectual property is one of the value-added services that entertainment lawyers can provide to clients.

From offering personalized legal services (such as tax and litigation advice) to advising international conglomerates about merchandising and licensing, from advising on music publishing rights to the potential risks of Internet distribution, entertainment lawyers work hand-in-hand with businesses on the cutting edge of technology and leisure.

As new media exploitation platforms (such as the Internet and mobile platforms) expand the boundaries of the possible for entertainment products, entertainment lawyers are increasingly called-upon to assist their clients in navigating an environment which is fluid and challenging – but one where the opportunities are manifold.

Bob Tarantino, Counsel Heenan Blaikie
Related Practice Areas: Communications Law, Sports Law
Spinning circle Big letter B

Our Methodology


Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.

The Process

Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.

In Brief

News, Editorial, Insights and Press