Entertainment, Sports, Media and Communications

In a fast-changing world where market trends and technologies are evolving quickly, the entertainment, sports, media and communications sector is facing complex challenges. We provide top-notch legal advice to help businesses in this dynamic sector handle digital transformations, manage personal data and navigate a rapidly changing landscape.

Our professionals have expertise in areas including regulations, mergers and acquisitions, technology, data protection and intellectual property. Working closely with companies in the film, television, animation, digital media and gaming industries, as well as with broadcasters and other platforms, we have tackled a variety of challenges.

Our differentiators are a commitment to operating at the intersection of technological and legal innovation, and a deep understanding of the unique challenges in entertainment, sports, media and communications. Using an integrated approach, we provide smart and targeted solutions for your intellectual property, data protection, regulatory and business transaction needs. Our expertise focuses on the following areas:

• Access to a wide network to accelerate business opportunities
• Advice relating to the legislation, regulations and practices that govern the industry
• Advice on content creation and distribution
• Guidance on IT security and data document policies
• Contributions to business and legal strategies
• Website development and hosting agreements
• Use and distribution licences
• Mergers and acquisitions, financing by investors and public offerings
• Cybersecurity risk and data security breach management
• Promotion and advertising
• Copyright, patent and brand protection and advice
• Data monitoring and access issues
• Drafting commercial agreements, including shareholder agreements, employment contracts, and non-disclosure and non-competition agreements
• Drafting terms of use, and privacy and anti-spam compliance policies
• Drafting and negotiating specialized contracts (licence assignments, and production, distribution and publishing contracts)
• Representation before specialized and administrative tribunals
• Privacy, consumer protection and anti-spam compliance
• Strategic support for technology companies

In addition, our specialized sports law team offers the cutting-edge expertise, sound judgment and unsurpassed legal skills needed to achieve contract negotiation goals and professional representation objectives in sports disputes. We offer strategic and legal advice for sports federations and athletes at all levels in situations involving conflicts of interest, sports disputes, doping, procedural fairness implementations and compliance analysis, national and international selections, disciplinary actions, carding, and contract reviews and negotiations.

We regularly represent Canadian anti-doping authorities before the Doping Tribunal of the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada and the Doping Appeals Tribunal. We also acted as Ombudsperson for the Canadian Olympic team at the winter and summer games (Olympic, Paralympic and Pan American) in order to participate in the resolution of problems encountered by athletes, coaches or support personnel in the Canadian delegation.