Category "legal"

Are there any rules regarding the usage of a medical condition in movies?

In some movies, sometimes medical conditions are shown inaccurately. For example, in Ghajini (2008 film), anterograde amnesia is shown wrongly. The main protago

Why is it Okay for movies / TV shows, to show that their story is based on real events when it is actually not?

I just finished watching the TV show Fargo. Each episode begins with the lines that this is based on real events. When I looked for it on Wikipedia, it said

How are fake reality shows not false advertising? And if they are, why do they get away with it?

Wikipedia defines Reality Television as: "Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents unscripted situations and actual occurren

Why do film studios buy domains of fictitious companies?

A few moments ago I saw an episode of 'The Blacklist' and recognized a sign with the address of an fictitious estate agent. My curiosity was to check the domain

How long must a Hollywood film wait to use the same title of an older film?

I just stumbled on the new film Bound (2015) and remembered that there was an older film by the Wachowskis also called Bound released in 1996. I am sure this v

Legalities of shows recording crime?

I'm not quite sure how to form this question, but basically I've watched a lot of shows that record crimes happening. These are usually the series about narcoti

Why were kids allowed to act in the movie Caligula (1979)?

Why were kids allowed to act in the movie Caligula (1979)? To me it seems that the movie is a purely adult movie with sexual activity through the movie. Also,

Can using fake names or pseudonyms in the credits really protect you from legal troubles?

I've seen this happen a few times but the one with the most notoriety is the South Park episode "Trapped in the Closet". That's the episode where they basically

Legal implications of shooting a movie along a public sidewalk with dozens of people

In a lot of movies and TV shows, there will be a scene where an actor will be walking along a busy sidewalk, and there will be dozens of people behind them, and

What legal measures do real persons/families/groups have to impose "prior restraint" on aspects of a film?

Can persons or families of deceased persons use legal methods to impose "prior restraint" on aspects of a planned film about them they don't like, such as JFK,

Are there union rules requiring stunt performers, and what does this mean for action stars who "do their own stunts"?

In an answer to this question, it is mentioned offhand: There are almost no "live shots" of this as it is technically a stunt and according to union rules (

Is there any way in which to use cross-over characters from other TV series?

I am writing a pilot for a TV Series, and wondered if it may be legally possible to write in a character from another (relative) series? This isn't it, but for

What would happen if a show would remove its disclaimer?

What would happen if shows like South Park would remove their introductory disclaimer like message like 'all celebrities are impersonated...poorly'etc. before t

How is Return to the Blue Lagoon legal if Milla Jovovich was 15 when it was shot?

In the movie, we see Milla Jovovich topless many times. But when the film was shot, she was 15 and therefore underage. Did this not break the law back when it

Fiction disclaimers on Non-Fiction movies

It's Memorial Day Weekend in the US, so I was watching one of my favorite Memorial Day movies; Hamburger Hill (1987). This movie is based on events surrounding

Exposing Alcohol in films to kids or teens

Are you allowed to show kids or teens drinking alcoholic drinks in short films? Or is it against the law in the UK?

Were the Jokers (Impractical Jokers) fined for tearing money?

In one episode of Impractical Jokers where it is Q's turn, he (Q) goes to sit in a carriage and after some conversation with other people sitting there,he borro

What happened to the lawsuit over Django Unchained?

There seems to have been a lot of talk about script writers suing Quentin Tarantino over the movie idea of Django Unchained. Does anybody know what happened to

Why MPAA warning also present in 80s movies?

The following notice is usually present in movies: This motion picture is protected under the laws of the United States and other countries. Any unauthor

When can companies (or other entities) be directly referenced?

In a recent episode of a TV show, real tech companies (Uber, Google, etc.) were mentioned as having done a very bad thing. Although based on past events, the sp