Porn lawyer legal advice

Why buy back copyright in a porn video

If you or your partner have been a participant in a pornographic video and no longer wish the video to be distributed online, you might want to consider buying the copyright in the porn video.

Do you need to register a copyright in a video

How to buy a copyright in a porn video

What are the difficulties in buying copyright in porn videos

Where can I get help buying copyright in a video where I am featured

Do you need to register a copyright in a video

No. you don't need to register a copyright in a video. Having a copyright in a video means that you own it in the same way that you own a tangible property. Ownership allows you to decide how the video is being used and, in many cases, it enables you to stop the video’s distribution. In the UK, you don't need to register your copyright in a video anywhere but you will need to have a document that shows that the copyright in the video had been transferred to you.

We keep this document and whenever you need, you can use it as proof of ownership.

How to buy a copyright in a porn video

You can buy copyright in a porn video directly from the previous copyright owner. Often the owner of the copyright will be the production company or the individual who created the video. In other cases, copyright might have already been assigned or transferred to a third party, for example to a distribution company.

In cases where the video was created through a production company and the company had gone into administration, you might be able to buy the copyright from the Crown, which by default owns all the intellectual property rights which are unclaimed due to companies going bust.

What are the difficulties in buying copyright in porn videos

When buying copyright in porn videos, you are likely to face a number of challenges. For example, the fact that there are other actors in the film might mean that you cannot have a full copyright because the others might also want it or already own a share of the copyright. Another example for a difficulty in buying back copyright in a porn video is that the video might already be subject to licences.

Licences to use or to distribute a video are lower rights than copyright rights but a copyright might come subject to some licences that had already been granted. This means that you can still buy the copyright in the porn movie but if someone can show that they have previously been granted a licence to use or to distribute the video, you will need to either honour the licence or find a way to revoke it.

Where can I get help buying copyright in a video where I am featured

Our team of lawyers at Cohen Davis have extensive experience in helping clients negotiate and purchase copyright in adult videos. Over the years, we have come across so many different scenarios which means it is very likely that we will find a way to assist you with your copyright buy-back.