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The Osgoode Certificate in Entertainment Law

The Osgoode Certificate in Entertainment Law

Issued on 17 Apr 2025 by

Osgoode Professional Development, York University

Osgoode Professional Development, York University

The world of arts and entertainment — whether it be music, film, television, live theatre, games or books — can be very creative and exciting. It is also a very challenging and complex environment, particularly for those working behind-the-scenes. If you are working in the industry as a lawyer, producer or business affairs professional, it is essential that you have a solid understanding of the legal aspects of your work. The Osgoode Certificate in Entertainment Law was created to provide those with or without a law degree with a comprehensive and practical overview of entertainment law in Canada. Led by Program Director Susan Abramovitch, and taught by a highly distinguished faculty of experts drawn from the music, film, television, gaming, live stage events and publishing industries, this Certificate covers the key principles you need to know, together with practical insights, strategies and tactics for tackling the most pressing issues in entertainment law. This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to acquire a comprehensive overview, and to “drill down” into the key issues and challenges that you will likely encounter. You will also receive materials prepared by OsgoodePD’s expert faculty which will serve as a valuable ongoing resource.

Issuer

Osgoode Professional Development is the lifelong learning arm of Osgoode Hall Law School, one of Canada’s leading law schools.

We provide a uniquely broad and flexible range of interdisciplinary graduate-level legal education to professionals with and without law degrees.

Criteria

What You’ll Learn

  1. Issues to consider when negotiating with “the talent”

  2. How the collective bargaining process works

  3. How tariffs in music are set and how collective rights translate into royalties for artists

  4. The rights that construct the chain of title and how to avoid drafting pitfalls that would undermine it

  5. Strategies to employ when negotiating and drafting option, distribution, format and licensing agreements for film and television

  6. How to understand net profits

  7. Canada and U.S. tax issues that arise for people in the entertainment industry

  8. Financing a co-production: what you need to know

Assessment Criteria

In order to obtain the Certificate, the learner must:

  1. complete/attend all modules; and
  2. successfully complete an online assessment, obtaining at least 80%.

Estimated learning effort

Approximately 35 hours of learning effort, spread over multiple weeks.

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