Media & Entertainment
For international production studios, global broadcasters, and streaming platforms (VOD/OTT), content is a primary intangible asset. When foreign media companies operate in or distribute content to the Ukrainian market, the principal legal challenges involve digital piracy, unauthorized broadcasting, and ensuring proper chain of title clearance when engaging local production talent or acquiring Ukrainian content.
ADVANCE PARTNERS acts as local IP counsel for global media companies and entertainment franchises. We provide legal support in securing content rights, structuring cross-border production and distribution agreements, and enforcing copyright against digital piracy in Ukraine.
Our services
- Anti-Piracy and Digital Enforcement: Enforcement against unauthorized streaming sites, torrent networks, and social media piracy utilizing the procedures, including mandatory pre-judicial notices to website owners, cooperation with hosting providers and ISPs, de-indexing of infringing URLs from search engines, and judicial website blocking orders.
- Chain of Title and IP Clearance: Conducting IP due diligence for foreign studios engaging in local co-productions or acquiring regional content. Ensuring the proper assignment of economic rights from local screenwriters, directors, composers, and performers under Ukrainian copyright law. Verification of rights chains for catalogue acquisitions.
- Cross-Border Licensing and Distribution: Structuring and localizing content distribution agreements, format licensing contracts, and multi-platform monetization arrangements for the Ukrainian broadcasting and OTT market. Advisory on territorial licensing restrictions and holdback provisions.
- Trademark and Franchise Protection: National registration and enforcement of international entertainment brands, movie and series titles, character names, and production company identifiers. Protection against local brand hijacking and unauthorized merchandising.
- Image Rights and Publicity: Securing and enforcing the rights to the name, image, and likeness (NIL) of foreign celebrities, actors, and creators against unauthorized commercial use, brand association, or endorsement implication in Ukraine.
- Collective Rights Management: Advisory on the interaction with Ukrainian collective management organizations (CMOs) for the administration of royalties and licensing of public performance, broadcasting, and mechanical reproduction rights.
Key legal issues
We provide legal support on specialized matters relevant to foreign stakeholders in the Ukrainian media and entertainment sector:
- Copyright Infringement Litigation: Representing foreign studios and rights holders in Ukrainian courts in disputes involving unauthorized broadcasting, creation of unlicensed derivative works, and content appropriation. Civil claims for damages and injunctive relief.
- AI-Generated Content and Training Data: Advisory on the legal status of non-original objects generated by computer programs. Enforcement against unauthorized scraping of proprietary content for machine learning model training.
- Deepfake and Digital Impersonation: Implementing legal strategies to identify, trace, and remove AI-synthesized media (deepfakes) that infringe the moral rights and publicity rights of international talent under Ukrainian copyright and civil law.
- Television Format Protection: Developing enforcement strategies for foreign television formats and reality show concepts against unauthorized local adaptations, combining copyright protection for format bibles, trade secret protection for production know-how, and trademark rights for format identifiers.
- Music and Sound Recording Rights: Advisory on the clearance, licensing, and enforcement of musical works and sound recordings in audiovisual productions, advertising campaigns, and digital platforms operating in Ukraine.
