At onside law our commercial lawyers have advised on legal issues affecting all aspects of the entertainment industry and in particular in relation to television, gaming and music.
Examples of industry specific experience include:
Television
- advising on all rights associated with the Parkinson talk show archives dating from the early seventies to 2008 and various co production and distribution agreements with the BBC and Granada Media
- advising on production, access and clearances for "The Model Agency" the fly on the wall documentary following Premier Models aired on Channel 4 and for individuals ranging from Sir Michael Parkinson to Suzi Perry and Gok Wan
- advising on all aspects of Heston Blumenthal's television career including exclusive broadcasting arrangements with Channel 4, production and finance contracts for the series "Mission Impossible", "Big Chef takes on Little Chef" and "Feast" and numerous presenting and endorsement opportunities
- presentation and participation agreements for celebrities involved in shows including "Dancing on Ice", Parkinson, "I'm a Celebrity get Me Out Of Here" and "Only Fools on Horses"
- advising athletes such Nick Faldo on all aspects of their broadcasting career including agreements with CBS, ABC and The Golf Channel in the US, and the BBC and Sky Sports in the UK
Music
- music performance/touring and recording agreements for clients including Jose Carreras, Bryn Terfel, Rolando Villazon and Elaine Paige
- representation agreements in relation to clients such as Jamie Callum
- sponsorship agreements for clients such as Nandos New Music Initiative
Gaming
We act for a wide range of clients from within the gaming industry on areas such as the development and protection of new gaming concepts, licensing, collaboration, new technology deals, poker TV deals and investment and shareholder agreements. Recent examples include:
- advising Betfair, one of the industries leading companies, on a range of investment deals in new gaming products and technologies
- assisting a top professional poker player, Mel Judah, on various new gaming concepts and licensing
- advising a football betting syndicate on the protection of their developmental software and collaboration agreements
- advising companies in relation to the development of betting products to replace more traditional insurance products in the sports industry
- advising Paddy Power on various sports related marketing campaigns and intellectual property protection
- advising offshore betting companies on various investment and shareholder agreements
“onside law rises in the rankings following another strong year and has emerged as a serious player in the market. According to clients its 'superior team' 'has very good knowledge of the sports industry' and 'is refreshingly commercial’. It ‘impresses in an area where it has genuine niche expertise’.”
“As a boutique sports and entertainment firm, it is able to offer its clients highly specialised advice, which has been key to its attracting and maintaining client relationships with prominent sports bodies such as the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Ryder Cup Europe. Sources say: ‘All four main partners are highly charismatic individuals, all are young, enthusiastic and energetic, and all work exceptionally well together as a team.’" 
