Attorney Steve® discusses key elements of a modeling contract

AttorneySteve.com - Entertainment Law Essentials - Modeling Agreements (Key Points to Consider)

In this exciting episode of Vondran Legal Hour, intellectual property attorney Steve Vondran discusses the key things to know BEFORE SIGNING THAT MODELING / ACTING AGREEMENT.  Once you get locked into a two or three-year contract, you may find it hard to get out of without a lot of hassles.  In this podcast, we discuss some of the key legal issues to consider:

1.  IP rights (who owns what and for how long and for what purposes)

2.  Right of refusal clauses (do you have sole discretion to accept or reject an assignment or project without penalty)?

3.  Do you have accounting rights (and the righ to see a full invoice for every project you are paid on, including all deductions and expenses)?

4.  Are you giving the agency or manager a "power of attorney" or making them "attorney-in-fact."  If so, is this "revocable?"

5.  Is the arrangment "exclusive" or "non-exclusive" (meaning you can still get your own jobs)

6.  Is the fees (commissions) negotiable?  Why not try?

7.  Do you own your rights of publicity (nmae, image, likeness, in California for exampe)?

8.  Can they force you to do bikini shots or nude shoots against your will?

9.  What happens if there is a dispute?  Where is the dispute heard (NY or CA choice of law)?  Who pays what, is there an attorney fees clause?

10.  What specifically, are they agreeing to do for you.  That is something that can often be vague (they don't want to commit to much, but want you to pay yearly fees for example)