Are there major differences between clearing archival rights for images and music rights?
Music and images often pose different rights-clearance challenges. The rights holders of images can be especially difficult to track down. Music is often difficult to clear because its ownership changes more frequently than other forms of media and it tends to have multiple owners from whom you must obtain permission. Q: What has been the most difficult situation for you to help a client clear rights? Much of rights clearance work is researching who and where the rights holder is and then contacting the rights holder – and contacting him again – until you get a response to your permission request. This hands-on aspect of clearing rights does not require an attorney. While your attorney should preferably be involved as an advisor in the process, it’s typically not economically efficient to have her handle the entire process. As an attorney, my role in rights clearance usually involves reviewing the production to assess potential problems and risks, determining whether and what type of p
