Chain of Title
Documentation proving legal ownership of intellectual property rights through all transactions.
Definition
Chain of title is the complete paper trail establishing who owns the rights to a creative work and how those rights were legally transferred through each transaction. For film and TV, this includes option agreements, purchase contracts, assignment documents, and rights registrations.
Clear chain of title is required before any distribution deal can close—no buyer will take on rights with questionable ownership.
Why It Matters
Broken chain of title can kill deals and trigger lawsuits. Distributors require complete documentation before writing checks.
Maintaining meticulous records from the start prevents costly scrambles when projects find buyers.
Examples in Practice
A film sale stalls for six months while producers track down an old option agreement that was never formally terminated.
An entertainment lawyer discovers a missing assignment document and has the original author sign a new agreement.
A distributor walks away from a promising acquisition because chain of title issues create unacceptable legal risk.