When it comes to film and television clearance issues, there are several high profile cases that serve as cautionary tales for filmmakers, screenwriters, and production houses.

But few clearance related infringement cases, if any, outnumber the long list of Lucasfilm Lawsuits.

With the new film in the limelight, it’s a good time to share the revisit the clearance issues that have been connected the Star Wars franchise over the years.

With sustainable popularity that’s lasted for decades and a new film franchise reigniting Star Wars fandom, it may feel like the right time to use a lightsaber in your next project or have Darth Vader make a cameo.

This is not a good idea.

Even though Star Wars is now the property of Disney, the new film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, will regenerate interest in using the iconic imagery in art projects.

Now more than ever, it’s crucial to protect your film and television projects, as well as your advertising, video game, and other products, for no other reason than the undoubtedly impending Lucasfilm Lawsuits on the horizon.

This is not to say that the company will sue willy-nilly, but there have been a long list of Star Wars court cases over the years that prove the importance of script clearance, and an overall clearance strategy.

Lucasfilm V. Verizon Wireless

When the Android phone hit the market, the original title was DROID, which is also the moniker of the robot characters in the Star Wars films.

In a court case over the term Droid as a registered trademark, Verizon Wireless had to pay an undisclosed sum to George Lucas to continue using the name.

Lucasfilm V. Dr. Dre

Before several Lucasfilm movies, television shows, and video games roll the opening credits, a THX insignia appears. Alongside this branding, there is a drawn-out sound to signify top-notch audio quality.

The rapper Dr. Dre decided to use this sound in one of his songs. As a result, Lucasfilm sued Dr. Dre.

The rapper ended up paying 1.5 million dollars for an audio clip that lasted a few seconds.

Lucasfilm V. High Frontier and the Reagan Administration

Roughly 30 years ago, then President Ronald Reagan and his cabinet began talks of creating space-based missile defense systems. The short title of this initiative was, appropriately, Star Wars.

The company heading this military initiative was High Frontier.

Even though the public and the media took to calling the idea Star Wars, the name stuck, and officials began using it freely.

George Lucas brought suit on trademark infringement claims.

This time around, no money was awarded. According to court ruling, the press and the public used this term to describe the program, not to disparage or imitate Lucasfilm’ project.

What Does Star Wars Have to Do with Your Project?

Clearance is not something to ignore in the film and television industry. When you protect yourself, you protect your project.

Whether it’s a name, a few notes from a song, or an image, there may be something in your script or your final cut that prompts a costly lawsuit that will kill your project or tie it up in the legal system.

You can avoid these types of cases with our help.

At the same time, it’s important for creative professionals to establish ownership of their own work, less someone else take credit for it.

The Clearance Lab is here to make sure that your work remains your own. To attain a complete clearance package, click here.

How to Protect Your Creative Work with Script Clearance

You’ve never seen Jerry Lewis in The Day the Clown Died.

That’s because a lawsuit stopped the movie from production.

When it comes to protecting your film and television scripts, you can’t simply create something and put your name on it.

To ensure your film or television script is produced without incident, there’s one way to protect your creative work…

A script clearance report.

How script clearance reports protect you.

Script clearance reports break down your script to identify any elements that could cause legal conflict.

You may not realize how many would-be lawsuits appear in your script. Some red flags include business, character, and product names, as well as protected artwork, music, film clips, dialogue, props, and identifiable personalities.  There is also the risk of defamation in your dialogue.

Before I show you how simple it is to acquire script clearance and protect your creative work, I need to explain what’s at stake.

Failing to obtain this report could result in avoidable delays, lost revenue, and the possibility that your finished product may never reach an audience.

Here are a few specifics…

Script clearance prevents production delays.

So many films never see their intended release date, or any release date at all.

Your project will stall if there are legal issues over a song, image, character names, stock footage, or anything that could be considered someone’s intellectual property.

 Script clearance saves money.

 Lawsuits are not only time-consuming, but also insanely expensive.

When legal issues arise, you lose money—money you could have otherwise spent on marketing and distribution.

You’ve already put money on the line—either your own cash or an investor’s.

From paying talent and funding special effects to travel expenses and marketing expenditures, there is a lot on the line.

You don’t want one cent to go toward legal battles.

Lawsuits drain that precious budget, all of which can be avoided once you get your script clearance.

 Script clearance stops your project from production failure.

Copyright claims and trademark infringement will not only cost a fortune and stall the project’s completion—lawsuits have killed promising films and television pilots.

It’s very simple to ensure that your project includes no weaknesses that could lead to infringement lawsuits.

Let us review your script, and we’ll go through it scene-by-scene to protect you from lawsuits.

Our team diligently searches for character names, locations, business names, and other crucial elements that you don’t know are protected.

If you want to keep those details in your script, no problem.

We’ll provide you with the contact information that you’ll need to obtain rights to use products, business names, and other protected material.

We’ll also suggest alternatives when a clearance issue can be solved with simple changes. If it’s a matter of switching out a reference or changing a name, it’s worth it to prevent your script from being held up in court battles.

Protect your script.