Return to main Advice page

Legal Eagle

Copyright

Q: Rival productions

My company has applied for the rights to produce a popular stage play. We want to make certain that no rival production is being staged around the same time or in the same locality. What do you advise?

A: Since you have applied for a licence to produce it, the play must still be protected by copyright, so you can easily find the information you require by asking the licensor to whom you have applied what other licences have been granted for the same play elsewhere within the area with which you are concerned. Also, as part of the deal you negotiate with the licensor, you should ask the licensor to give you an undertaking that no permission will be given for another production of the same play in your locality within the period concerned. It would be quite unusual for the licensor to give such an undertaking, at least in relation to the period covered by the licence being granted to you.

You may need to extend your enquiry, however, beyond the scope of your own licensor whose licensing rights may not extend to all stage productions of the play but possibly only to one category such as amateur, or professional, or first class or second class productions. If your licensor does not administer all the stage rights in your locality he should nevertheless be able to tell you who owns what other stage rights, which will enable you to cross check the position with them.

If you are worried about the reliability of the responses you get, you could make a double check by writing to all the theatrical venues area asking for their programmes of forthcoming productions during the period you are concerned about. You can get information about stage productions around the country published in The Stage.

First published February 1995