As the Cannes Film Festival approaches, publication of the book “From Script to Screen – The importance of Rights Documentation in the Distribution of Films” by Charles-Edouard Renault, partner in de Gaulle Fleurance & Associés

Charles-Edouard Renault, partner in de Gaulle Fleurance & Associés, has just published “From Script to Screen – The importance of Rights Documentation in the Distribution of Films” edited by the World Intellectual Property Association (WIPO – Geneva) co-written with Robert H Aft. The publication of this book takes place soon after the release of the selection for the Cannes Film Festival and just before the Marché du Film scheduled from 16 to 27 May 2012, one of most significant copyright trade markets contributing to the dynamism of the global film industry.

Nowadays the growth of national film industries (in terms of volume and quality) and the development of new technologies allow films to be viewed by global audiences and to acquire new consumers. Producers have to comply with international standards in terms of production, financing and validation of chains of rights.

The book provides producers, distributors and film-makers with the legal and commercial basis of the Industry in order to allow them to become actors in the film market. Relying on practical cases, the authors give a large overview of the principles and standards currently followed and observed worldwide in the film industry.

The approach adopted in this work is very practical; it includes advices and mentions case-law. Alternative dispute resolution in this sector is addressed at length. The authors describe the international standards allowing producers and distributors to know what they own, what they may assign or what they purchase and, as a result, what they are legally entitled to distribute or to license to third parties for the widest distribution of contents.

Charles-Edouard Renault, partner in de Gaulle Fleurance & Associés, is specialised in the media and audio-visual sector as well as in French and European films, both in transactional and litigation cases. To this end, he is facing issues arising from new technologies both in terms of production and operation of audio-visual contents and in terms of crisis communication. Charles-Edouard Renault is also an arbitrator at the Independent Films & Television Alliance (IFTA) and at the WIPO in the Film and Media sector. He teaches at University Lyon III in the masters programme dedicated to Media Law and intervenes in the Erich Pommer Institut für Medienrecht in Berlin.