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IP and EntertainmentFrom production committees to merchandising licenses, production outsourcing, distribution and secondary use, our attorneys build the scope of use and consideration into the contract clauses.

Free consultation Why LegalAgent
Response time
1 business day*
First consultation
30 min free
Scope
Production committees · Licensing · Production outsourcing

* As a rule, for contract reviews and routine legal questions. For complex or urgent matters we propose a schedule that fits the matter.

Client companies served*

150+

Selected clients shown, in no particular order. * Clients and partners. Not limited to IP and Entertainment matters.

KADOKAWA FRONTEO YAMAP ACROVE LAPRAS AVA Intelligence OPTIEUM Biotechnologies ReDelta Concrew LINEA Innovations TECHSUITE YStory

IP and content contracts with many parties, reviewed as a whole

Content businesses such as anime, games, video and music involve many parties, including production committees, rights holders, production companies, distributors and creators. After checking how the related contracts correspond to one another, we build the scope of use, approvals, revenue distribution and handling after termination into clauses that will not be read differently in practice.

  • Before release, the scope of use and approval flow for merchandising are still undecided
  • You have not worked out how investment ratios relate to window rights in a production committee
  • You do not know how far rights in delivered work belong to your company
  • You want to check whether other media or overseas distribution fall within the existing license

Why LegalAgent

With LegalAgent, you can settle rights and consideration terms before release

We support the rollout of your IP in three ways: fast answers, upfront fee estimates and deliverables you can use as they are in negotiations and in running approvals.

  1. 01Speed

    Typical law firms3–5 business days

    LegalAgent1 business day, as a rule

    Working back from release and distribution dates

    For contract reviews and routine legal questions, we respond within one business day as a rule. For projects whose release or distribution start date is approaching, we check the scope of use, approval and consideration clauses first.

  2. 02Fees

    Hourly billingTotal unknown at the start

    LegalAgentScope and fee set before we start

    Estimated by the number of parties and related contracts

    We ask about the contract type, the number of parties and the volume of related contracts such as committee rules, and give you an estimate before we start. Matter-based work is generally on a fixed fee.

  3. 03Deliverables

    • License agreement revisions
    • Draft approval flow
    • Revenue distribution memo

    Ready to use as is in contracts and approvals

    In addition to revisions with tracked changes, we deliver a draft approval flow setting out what is subject to approval, the number of rounds and the deadlines, and a memo on the negotiation strategy with the other investors.

* Response times are for contract reviews and routine legal questions; they vary by matter.

How it works

The AI Agent maps the scope of license; attorneys design the terms

The AI Agent organizes the scope of license from existing contracts and project proposals and prepares drafts; attorneys decide how to set the scope of use, approvals and revenue distribution.

AI Agentdoes the work

  • Organizes the scope of license and the parties from existing contracts and proposals
  • Draws on past clause examples and templates
  • Drafts license agreements and proposed revisions

Attorneysmake the judgment

  • Decide the terms for the scope of use, approvals and consideration
  • Check how investment ratios correspond to window rights and revenue distribution
  • Take responsibility for the final contract clauses and negotiation strategy
ConsultationRevisions and negotiation strategy
  1. STEP 01Confirming the rights and contracting parties

    We confirm the rights holders of the IP concerned, the scope of license under existing contracts and the contractual relationships among the parties

    Memo organizing the rights

  2. STEP 02Organizing issues and designing terms

    In light of whether the matter is a production committee, license, production outsourcing or performer agreement, we organize the terms of scope of use, approval flow, revenue distribution and consideration

    Issue list and draft term design

  3. STEP 03Preparing draft or revised contracts

    We prepare a draft contract or draft revisions with tracked changes

    Draft or revised contract

  4. STEP 04Organizing negotiation strategy and internal explanations

    We organize the issues expected in negotiations with the counterparty and alternative clause proposals, and prepare materials for internal explanation

    Negotiation strategy memo and internal explanatory materials

  • Attorneys make the final callAn attorney checks every deliverable and takes responsibility for it.
  • Your inputs are not used to train AIOn top of attorneys' statutory duty of confidentiality, we work in an environment where your inputs are not used to train AI.
  • An AI Agent built in-houseOur own engineers develop it. Information Security Policy

Use cases

Common requests and what you receive

In content industry consultations, the clauses to review change with the combination of the IP concerned and the parties involved. We show how matters correspond across four typical starting points.

  1. 01

    You want to organize the terms of a merchandising license for your own IP (scope of use, approvals and royalties)

    If left aloneSigning while the media of use and approval flow remain vague makes it impossible to stop unexpected product development or damage to the brand image after the fact

    What we doWe confirm the media, territory and term of use, what is subject to approval and how many rounds, and how royalties are calculated, and build these into the contract clauses

    What you receive
    • Draft or revised merchandising license agreement
    • Draft approval flow
    • Issue summary on royalty clauses

  2. 02

    In investing in a production committee, you want to confirm the terms of window rights and revenue distribution

    If left aloneJoining while the relationship between investment ratios and window rights and revenue distribution is unclear means you cannot reflect your intentions at the commercialization stage

    What we doWe review the window rights, decision-making method and revenue distribution calculation under the investment agreement and committee rules

    What you receive
    • Review comments on the committee rules and investment agreement
    • Issue list on window rights and decision-making clauses
    • Memo confirming revenue distribution terms

  3. 03

    Production is proceeding under outsourced content production while rights clearance for deliverables remains vague

    If left aloneThe release date arrives without the copyright in deliverables or the permissibility of secondary use being organized, making additional use or modification impossible

    What we doIn light of whether the outsourced work is in the nature of a contract for work or quasi-mandate, we confirm copyright ownership of deliverables, credit attribution and the scope of revisions

    What you receive
    • Draft revisions to the production outsourcing agreement
    • Issue summary on rights ownership and credit clauses
    • Memo confirming the scope of revisions

  4. 04

    You want to design the scope of license and approval flow for a collaboration project with another company's IP

    If left aloneProceeding while the scope of license and the division of roles in approvals are unclear causes confirmations on both sides to stall with each project change, affecting the release schedule

    What we doWe organize the licensed subject matter, media of use, approval process and terms of consideration in line with both parties' practical workflows

    What you receive
    • Draft or revised collaboration agreement
    • Draft approval flow
    • Issue list on consideration and license terms

Published matters

See all matters

Scope of our IP and entertainment support

For production committees, licenses, production outsourcing and performer agreements, we organize by theme how the points we review correspond to the deliverables.

Production committees and investment schemes
For investment agreements and committee rules, we review the terms of window rights and revenue distribution from your position as a participating company.
  • Reviewing production committee agreements and investment agreements
  • Organizing negotiation strategy for revenue distribution and window rights clauses
Merchandising and collaboration licenses
Both when licensing your own IP to others and when taking a license of another company's IP, we review the scope of use and approval arrangements.
  • Reviewing merchandising and collaboration license agreements
  • Organizing license fee and royalty clauses
Content production outsourcing and performer agreements
For production outsourcing and performer agreements, we review rights clearance for deliverables and performances.
  • Reviewing content production outsourcing agreements
  • Reviewing rights clearance in performer and performance agreements
Distribution and secondary use
For licensing arrangements for distribution and secondary use, we confirm the extent covered by existing contracts.
  • Reviewing distribution and secondary use license agreements

Our approach

What we focus on in IP and Entertainment

In IP and entertainment law, we focus on the following perspectives.

  1. 01

    Reviewing the rights of multiple parties as a whole

    For contracts involving multiple parties, such as production committees, rights holders, production companies, distributors and creators, we organize the issues after reviewing not only the individual contract but also how the related group of contracts fits together.

  2. 02

    Making the scope of use and approval flow concrete at the clause level

    Abstract wording such as "use subject to approval" leads to divergent interpretations in operation, so we build what is subject to approval, the number of rounds, deadlines and the scope of revisions into the clauses.

  3. 03

    Confirming the basis for calculating revenue distribution and royalties

    Unless revenue distribution and consideration clauses are reviewed down to the calculation method, the definition of sales and audit rights, misunderstandings arise at the payment stage, so we confirm the calculation basis concretely.

  4. 04

    Looking ahead to cessation of use and handling of inventory after termination

    Upon termination of a license or production outsourcing, we confirm the grace period for selling inventory, the return or deletion of material data and the deadline for ceasing use, to prevent disputes after termination.

Pricing

IP and entertainment fees

For production committees, licenses, production outsourcing and performer agreements alike, the scope of review varies with the number of parties and the volume of related contracts, so we provide an estimate after hearing the details.

How fees are set

Scope and fee agreed before we start

Matter-based work is generally on a fixed fee. For complex or urgent matters, we propose a schedule and an estimate that fit the matter.

First consultation

A free 30-minute online meeting.

You can come to us before your documents are in order. Tell us what you know so far.

Free consultation

What we check before quoting

  • The contract type concerned (production committee, license, production outsourcing, performer agreement and the like) and the number of parties
  • The volume of related contracts such as investment agreements and committee rules
  • The complexity of coordination in designing the approval flow and revenue distribution
  • Whether there are existing contracts for the IP concerned and the scope of review
  • The desired timing for signing

We present an individual estimate after confirming the contract type concerned, the number of parties and the volume of related contracts.

Team & Record

Attorneys who know intellectual property and contracts handle your matters

Contract reviews and drafts
2,000+
Client companies
150+
Startup legal matters
200+
Financing matters
65Since 2024, issuer and investor side

* Approximate figures based on matters handled by our firm; actual figures vary by matter.

Engineers

Shinya Makita and Sota Miya build our product on the same team as the attorneys.

Practical guides to IP and entertainment contracts

LicensingIntellectual Property and Scope of Use to Check When Reviewing a License Agreement

Permission to post an image on a website does not necessarily mean it can be used in social media ads or at trade shows. Check the methods of use, the scope of exclusivity, how consideration is calculated, and the handling of inventory and data upon termination.

Related practice areas

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can we consult you at the planning stage, before there is a draft contract?

You can consult us from the stage of a project proposal or term memo. We can also work with you on designing the scope of use and approval flow themselves.

Can we consult you even without draft production committee rules or a draft investment agreement?

We can begin the consultation with only the terms known at the time you were approached about investing or what has been communicated verbally. Once draft rules are presented, we will review them.

How does a one-off engagement for a single license agreement differ from an ongoing engagement?

In a one-off engagement, we review or draft each individual contract. In an ongoing engagement, we also develop contract templates spanning multiple license and production outsourcing matters and review internal confirmation workflows.

Can we also consult you about trademark registration or securing patents?

Trademark applications, securing patents and responding to IP infringement regardless of industry are handled on the Intellectual Property page. This page focuses on contract practice specific to the content industry, such as production committees, licenses, production outsourcing and performer agreements.

Do you also handle contracts relating to athletes and teams?

Athlete contracts and contracts relating to team operations are handled on the Sports Law page. This page covers contracts relating to content such as anime, games, video and music and to IP such as characters.

Can we consult you about content development using NFTs?

Regulatory and scheme issues specific to development using NFTs and tokens are handled on the Web3 page. This page focuses on contract practice for licenses and production outsourcing relating to content and IP.

Can you handle a sudden collaboration project just before release?

You can also consult us about projects whose release date is approaching. We give priority to organizing the terms of scope of use, approval flow and consideration, and proceed with reviewing the necessary contract clauses first.

Contact

Tell us about the IP and your project

Even at a stage when there is no draft contract or rules yet, we can begin the consultation if you can share an outline of the IP or project concerned.

  • A free 30-minute online first meeting
  • You can consult us at the stage of a project proposal or term memo
  • You can consult us when first approached to invest, before the draft committee rules arrive