Michael Donaldson, Chris Perez, and Dale Nelson’s SXSW Panel Spotlighted in Law.com 

Michael Donaldson, Chris Perez, and Dale Nelson’s South by Southwest (SXSW) panel “Annual Legal Update for Indie Film and TV” was recently spotlighted in Law.com’s article, “’You’d Better Mean Every Word’: How ‘True Story’ Labels Can Lead to Court.” The feature story explores notable legal issues and risks discussed during the firm’s annual presentation, with a focus on emerging issues such as the rights surrounding “true stories” films and the growing role of artificial intelligence.

Among the topics highlighted in the panel’s 10th edition was the rise in lawsuits against true-story-based projects. Michael examines this trend through Fiona Harvey’s lawsuit against “Baby Reindeer,” which was marketed as factual through the tagline “this is a true story,” but later claimed creative license. He advises, “If it’s a true story, you’d better mean every word of it,” stressing the importance of how filmmakers label their work.

The article also calls attention to the growing complexity of the legal landscape. Chris notes, “Clearance & Copyright,” a book co-authored with Michael and Partner Lisa Callif, now spans 638 pages in its fifth edition, compared to 150 in the first, reflecting how much more complicated the field has gotten. One emerging area is the use of artificial intelligence in filmmaking, which has limited legal precedent. Dale encourages filmmakers to read the terms of service before using AI tools, while Michael adds the importance of maintaining detailed usage logs. As urged throughout the panel, filmmakers should seek legal counsel early on to best protect their projects as the law evolves.

Read the full article in Law.com, here (subscription required).