Have you found someone with an interesting or compelling story? Would you like to develop a film, television show, or book based on their life? While this may be an exciting thought, you have to consider – is permission required? If so, how do you get it?
One of the first things you can do is speak to an entertainment lawyer about your rights. You can also learn more about Life Rights Agreements and how they can help you with your project while reducing the possibility of future problems.
Life Rights Defined
The term “life rights” refers to all personal details and characteristics that are related to or used to define a person’s life. This includes things like their name, experiences, and image. Entertainment attorney John Branca can help you better understand what these are and how they impact your project.
The Life Right Agreement
Put simply, Life Rights Agreements, or LRAs, which may be called a Life Story Agreement, is a specific agreement that provides an individual or another entity the right to buy and turn another person’s life story into media. Acquiring permission from the individual to tell someone’s story is essential. This is because of the “right of publicity,” which is something each state recognizes. This means that an individual has the explicit right to eliminate any unauthorized commercial use of their likeness, name, or other parts of their life or story.
The Need for an LRA
If you are the one who wants to tell a story, the LRA will reduce the potential of a lawsuit connected to the project. When someone signs the LRA, they provide the producer, studio, filmmaker, or writer the permission required to tell the story. They are also making a promise that they will not sue for privacy invasion, cases of defamation, or some other potential claim. In some cases, the agreement could also include adaptation rights, which may help facilitate the project because you do not have to go back later to try to secure them.
LRAs may also be beneficial for the person who is having their life story told. For example, if you have a life story, you think is marketable, adding adaptation rights to the LRA will help make it more appealing to creative professionals. Keep this in mind to help ensure the desired results are achieved and to ensure you can tell a story without any risk of legal repercussions.
