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Sequels meaning
Published by a LexisNexis In-house Advisor expert
What does Sequels mean?
In film and television practice, sequels are later productions that reuse the principal characters from an existing work or film but tell a new storey. The term is a contractual expression rather than one defined in UK or Irish legislation or case law, and usage is broadly consistent across England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland.
Unless otherwise agreed, sequels typically mean any film or television film made after the original by the producing company (or its assignees or licensees) that features substantially the same leading characters drawn from the underlying work or the original film, while the plot is substantially different. A sequel can be set before (prequel), during, or after the events of the original.
Sequel rights are commonly addressed in option and purchase agreements, writer, director and cast agreements, production and distribution agreements, and chain-of-title schedules. They determine who can make further films, required approvals, credit and contingent compensation, and whether rights revert if no sequel is produced within a stated period. From a copyright perspective, a sequel will be a new work; permission to use protected characters and storey elements must be secured, typically by assignment or licence, to avoid infringement.
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NEWS
Hunt v Singh: Post-Sequana guidance—creditor duty is triggered when solvency hinges on disputing liabilities with a real prospect the challenge will fail (England and Wales)
Stephen John Hunt v Jagtar Singh [2023] EWHC 1784 (Ch) What are the practical implications of this case? This ruling is valuable for liquidators, as it sets out a clearer pathway for certain claims alleging breach of the duty to consider creditors’ interests. While actions against directors where a company was nearing, or tottering on the brink of, insolvency remain somewhat unsettled after BTI 2014 LLC v Sequana SA [2022] UKSC 25, [2022] 3 WLR 709, a different position applies where the company was, in reality, significantly insolvent unless a liability could be successfully contested. In that circumstance, the liquidator can proceed with greater assurance. The emphasis is not on calculating the precise probability of insolvency; rather, if there was a real prospect that the challenge to the liability might fail, the duty is engaged. The decision also offers a clear warning to directors: do not bank on a final gamble and disregard creditors’ interests merely because a liability might be overturned. Practically, if such a liability exists...
04 August
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View the related Practice Notes about Sequels
PRACTICE NOTES
UK Film and Television Law Glossary (R–S): Copyright, Moral Rights, Licensing, Rights Clearances, Sequels/Remakes, Agreements and SVOD
For other frequently used film and TV expressions, consult: Film and TV glossary A–B, Film and TV glossary C–D, Film and TV glossary E–H, Film and TV glossary I–L, Film and TV glossary M–P, Film and TV glossary T–W. RadioPro Ltd RadioPro Ltd takes submissions from independent musicians via RadioPro.eu. Anyone performing music in a public venue may require a licence. Artists can upload tracks to RadioPro.eu and the platform will, on their behalf, present them directly to commercial and creative clients—TV programmes and series, films, adverts and documentaries—for a fee set by the artist. See Practice Note: Collecting societies. Recapture or turnaround provision ‘Recapture’ states that a licence will lapse and all rights will automatically return to the author/owner after a defined period if, by its end, the producer has not carried out specified actions. ‘Turnaround’ grants the author/owner, within a set timeframe, the ability to notify the producer requiring reassignment of certain project rights in exchange for payment of particular sums. See: Recapture and...
22 May
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