Film and TV Clearance
Ian Penman
Ian Penman is a very experienced intellectual property solicitor, who has been practising in Media & Entertainment Law since 1994 (founding New Media Law in 2001). Ian regularly advises clients on film and television content, notably in relation to copyright queries and clearances.
Most recently, Ian advised Get Blitzed Ltd on the production of the “Blitz! The Story of The Blitz Kids”, which is a 90 minute film documentary special broadcast by Sky Arts in the UK and internationally. Ian’s clients range from international film production companies such as Alchemedia Films (currently the producer of “Midas Man”, the Brian Epstein story) to UK and US music publishers such as Notting Hill Music.
Ian also advised technology companies such as Synchtank (which was incorporated and incubated in New Media Law’s offices) and Audoo. Ian is also a Visiting Principal Lecturer at The University of Westminster (since 1995) (where he is also a member of the Unibversity’s Employment Advisory Board) and regularly teaches Music Law at Tileyard Education in London on their Music Business MA.
Roger Field
Before joining NML Roger Field was the in-house lawyer at some of Britain’s top media companies. He started on The Daily and Sunday Telegraph before becoming the Broadcast Lawyer for TV-am (Breakfast TV) in which role he had to clear breaking news stories as well as (admittedly lightweight!) short documentaries.
Next, he was Legal Director of IPC Magazines (now owned by Future) and, finally, The Random House Group, where he dealt with everyone from Presidents (Clinton – Roger got him to change his autobiography), via the film trade – Oliver Stone proved remarkably open to suggestions (really intelligent people usually are) - to the once glamourous: he ‘legalled’ all of Katie Price’s books. Along the way he experienced what happens when things go wrong, as they can. He started off the famous – winning! – Dan Brown/Da Vinci Code litigation. He is also an IP expert.
Roger now specialises in pre-broadcast/publication clearance. He is also a long- published mainstream author (Hodder) and journalist who is passionate about getting the story ‘out there’. But, having also sat in the boardroom, he knows how a story does not get told if it gets sued. It is this near unique USP that he offers his clients. The fact that, before the law, he was a combat soldier also tends to give his advice a certain ‘rumbustiousness…’.