Legit Podcast Pro

Who Owns the Show When a Production Company Makes It? Who owns a podcast made by a production company? It depends on the contract. By default, the person who creates a work owns the copyright until it's transferred in writing, so a client who paid for a show doesn't automatically own everything in it. In this episode of Legit Podcast Pro, I walk through five places white-label production agreements go wrong, for the companies making the shows and the clients paying for them: • Background IP: show materials vs. company materials • The subcontractor chain of title • Third-party licenses (music, stock, fonts, tools, AI) • Credit and portfolio rights • How and when the company gets paid, and when ownership transfers Read the full article, with Q&A and sources: https://gordonfiremark.com/podcast/ (replace with the episode page URL once it's live) Creator Business Protection Blueprint: https://gordonfiremark.com/blueprint If you're building or signing a white-label production agreement, reach out to schedule a consultation with me: https://gordonfiremark.com Gordon Firemark is an entertainment and media attorney in Los Angeles with 34 years of experience, known as The Podcast Lawyer™. Last reviewed October 29, 2026. This video is general information, not legal advice for your situation. #podcasting #whitelabel #podcastproduction #podcastcontracts #legitpodcastpro

When a podcast company produces a show under a client's name, who actually owns what? The client assumes they paid for it, so it's theirs. The company assumes the templates and systems behind it are theirs. Both could be wrong. In this episode of Legit Podcast Pro, I walk through five places white-label production agreements go sideways, for the companies making the shows and the clients paying for them: 1. Background IP: show materials vs. company materials 2. The subcontractor chain of title 3. Third-party licenses (music, stock, fonts, tools, AI) 4. Credit and portfolio rights 5. How and when the company gets paid, and when ownership transfers If you're building or signing a white-label production agreement, reach out to schedule a consultation with me: https://gordonfiremark.com Get the Creator Business Protection Blueprint: https://gordonfiremark.com/blueprint Gordon Firemark is an entertainment and media attorney and The Podcast Lawyer™ This video is general information, not legal advice for your situation. #podcasting #podcastlawyer #whitelabel #podcastproduction #legitpodcastpro

You find your own episode on someone else's channel. Trimmed. With a disclaimer you never wrote. And it's getting more views than yours. The guest says they're just promoting your show, but copying and re-posting your episode isn't promotion. It can mean copyright infringement, takedowns, lost channels, and damages that can reach $150,000 per work. In this episode of Legit Podcast Pro, I explain why a guest re-uploading, trimming, or adding to your episode is a copyright problem, not "just marketing," and what you can do about it. You'll learn: - Which of your exclusive rights a re-posted, edited episode touches - Why "I'm helping," "I'm in it," "it's fair use," and "everybody does it" don't hold up - How an implied permission can happen when you hand over the files - What can follow: cease-and-desist letters, DMCA takedowns, channel strikes and bans, injunctions, and damages - Why agencies and publicists who place guests have a stake too - How to prevent it with written guest permissions, a promo kit, and a clear enforcement ladder This is exactly the kind of thing we cover inside my Easy Legal For Podcasters membership, with lots of resources to help you protect your show: https://easylegalforpodcasters.com If you'd like to talk through your own situation, reach out to schedule a consultation with me: https://gordonfiremark.com Gordon Firemark is an entertainment and media attorney and The Podcast Lawyer™. This video is general information, not legal advice for your situation. #podcasting #podcastlawyer #copyright #podcastguests #legitpodcastpro

Your CEO has a podcast. The company pays for it, promotes it, built a real audience around it. Now ask the harder question: if that CEO left tomorrow, who actually owns the show? In this episode, Gordon Firemark, The Podcast Lawyer™, talks directly to marketing leaders, company leadership, and the executives who front a company podcast. Most companies never answer the ownership question until a departure or dispute forces it — and the answer isn't automatically "the company," even though everyone assumes it is. You'll learn: - Why IP ownership of an executive-hosted show depends on more than just who's paying for it — and why an outside production agency can complicate things - Why the show's name and brand need to be explicitly owned and protected by the company, not just assumed - The real tension between company brand and personal brand when an executive becomes the face of a show - Why the host's employment or contractor status is the root question underneath everything else - Three questions every marketing team and company counsel should be able to answer, in writing, before a departure happens This is exactly the kind of multi-party situation worth real legal guidance. Reach out to schedule a consultation with me at https://gordonfiremark.com. #PodcastLawyer #CorporatePodcast #IPOwnership #PersonalBrand #MarketingLeaders #LegitPodcastPro

A show starts as audio only. Then it adds video, shot remotely from home. Then the production company builds an entire TV studio around it. Same host, same show — except now it airs on a major streamer's platform, not just a podcast feed. In this episode, Gordon Firemark, The Podcast Lawyer™, tackles a real, current question from his own practice: as video podcasts scale into full television-level production, how should hosts position themselves to negotiate TV-level compensation and terms for future seasons — instead of accepting a modest bump on the same podcast-era contract? You'll learn: - Why the "what is a podcast" debate matters more than ever now that YouTube, Spotify, and Apple all treat video as a first-class podcast format - The two real signals that a show has crossed from podcast into television-level production - Why timing is everything — and when a host's negotiating leverage is actually highest - How to think about compensation structure, including benchmarking against TV/streaming talent deals and performance-based terms - What to ask about travel, accommodations, and per diems once studio production is required - Why classification and benefits deserve a second look as a show's production scales up - Whether union or guild jurisdiction could actually apply, and what that turns on This is exactly the kind of high-stakes negotiation worth real representation. Reach out to me at https://gordonfiremark.com. #PodcastLawyer #VideoPodcast #PodcastBusiness #TalentNegotiation #Podcasters #CreatorEconomy #LegitPodcastPro