Entertainment & Sports Law

Canada

The global entertainment and sports industries continue to evolve at a rapid pace, with artists, athletes and companies facing new challenges and exploring new possibilities every day.

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From innovative technologies and platforms to new regulations and industry players, the Gowling WLG team is here to help you navigate complex legal issues and maximize your success.

With one of the world's leading entertainment and sports law groups, our firm offers a tailored, comprehensive range of services to clients with entertainment - or sports-related legal needs. By leveraging the expertise of our top-ranked professionals, we help businesses and individuals achieve their desired outcomes - from securing the best deals to winning contentious disputes.

Whether it's music, television, film, theatre, book publishing, video games or sports, we know what it takes to protect and market your brand in a field that's full of competition and opportunity.

Industry-focused strength

Our legal team is frequently sought by both Canadian and international clients for our strong expertise in entertainment and sports law. Whether we're providing strategic advice on business deal terms or counselling on ever-changing industry standards, we have the specific skills and resources to protect your interests. Whether your business focus is directly or indirectly related to the entertainment and sports industries, you can count on us to help you tackle any issue that comes your way. As a full-service law firm with more than 1,500 legal professionals in 18 offices worldwide, our specialized teams can handle the most complex matters.

Maximizing the value of your creative works and brand

Because Gowling WLG is a global leader in intellectual property (IP) law, we'll work with you to defend your IP protected works and ensure you're well-positioned to commercialize your rights. Our reputation as the trusted law firm for trademarks, branding, copyright and design matters is supported by our experience working internationally with musicians, actors, athletes, publishers, charities, corporations and brands across all entertainment and sports media.

Growing your business and commercializing your content

We serve as key advisers to our clients, applying our talent and connections to help them grow and succeed in the ever-changing entertainment and sports markets. Understanding that your goals and needs are unique, we can assist on a diverse array of legal matters, including personality rights; commercial transactions such as negotiating and drafting production agreements, talent agreements, licensing agreements, record deals, and merchandising arrangements; finance and investments; employment issues; sponsorship negotiation; real estate transactions; estate planning; and more.

Resolving your complex disputes

From arbitration to litigation, we have the high-level expertise needed to resolve - and help you avoid - even the most contentious disputes. Our lawyers have appeared before all levels of courts and tribunals, representing clients on numerous cases ranging from civil and commercial disputes for large entertainment and sports organizations to litigation relating to licensing and sponsorship.

We win awards, too

With one of Canada's largest and most highly recognized intellectual property practices, and one of the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory's leading entertainment lawyers, Gowling WLG is uniquely positioned to help all types of Canadian and foreign entertainment companies with their legal matters.

Highlights in Entertainment & Sports

Counsel to internationally acclaimed recording artists and music composers, including Jann Arden, Finger Eleven, Bruce Cockburn, Coeur de Pirate, Loreena McKennitt, Patrick Watson, Crash Test Dummies and Zeds Dead.
Counsel to successful independent record labels and music publishers, including Secret City Records, Six Shooter Records and PeerMusic.
Counsel to Music Canada - the trade organization representing Canada's major record labels, including Universal, Sony and Warner.
Advised on negotiating an auction consignment for a Dutch master painting with a major art auction house.
Counsel to celebrity chefs, including Rob Gentile and Patrick Kriss.
Counsel to the National Arts Centre (NAC) with respect to copyright, licensing, rights management, and acquisition and agreement negotiation surrounding the live multimedia production, Life Reflected, as well as to NAC’s National Creation Fund.
Counsel to on-air personalities, including Kevin O'Leary, Amanda Lang and Arlene Dickinson in regard to on-air agreements.
Counsel to Indspire for its annual awards show/broadcast, assisting in broadcast licensing, trademarks, personnel matters, errors and omissions insurance, clearance procedures, rights acquisition and licensing.
Counsel to Retriever Records with respect to Eleanor McCain's True North: The Canadian Songbook. Assisted in all legal aspects of producing a double album with 32 iconic Canadian songs along with a published coffee table book.
Counsel to the Toronto Defiant and related ownership group Overactive Media Group Inc., in being successfully awarded a professional eSports team in the Overwatch League.
Counsel to former NHL players Theo Fleury and Marty McSorley, advising on their respective book deals.
Counsel to Olympic Broadcasting Services Vancouver Ltd. in regard to synchronization licenses, vendor qualification agreements and production agreements in connection with the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.
Counsel to Sport Maska, Inc. dba Reebok-CCM Hockey Inc. in trademark and patent disputes with Bauer Hockey before the Federal Court.