|
Michael Simkins LLP’s digital media team advised design & branding agency Imagination in relation to a brand-sponsored online comedy project entitled “wherearethejoneses”.
The Jones project was initially conceived by Imagination and is sponsored by its client Ford. The scripts are written by TV production company BabyCow in collaboration with members of the public. It is an innovative use of web 2.0 technologies incorporating wiki script ideas and a user blog. The scripts evolve as users contribute through the website and are filmed daily by actors and a director on the road across Europe. The resulting programmes are uploaded to YouTube and streamed through the characters’ blog on the project website at http://wherearethejoneses.com/. All content is made available online on a creative commons basis.
“The legal issues were broad ranging and establishing the right commercial framework to offer this content on a creative commons basis necessitated a wholesale review of the rights structures in all the commercial agreements. Simply defining the online environment for the purpose of distribution of the programming required some detailed collaborative thinking between Imagination’s digital experts and MSLLP lawyers”. Said Nicola McCormick
“The truly innovative aspects of this project where making wide use of the public access services of Web2.0 and taking that a stage further by applying the Creative Commons Licence, which presented both the legal and production areas with some very new challenges', said Chris Marsh, Client Services Director, Imagination. 'The learnings have been immense, so we are looking ahead now to see how much further we can go in this area of user generated and publicly owned content”.
Notes:
Project website: http://wherearethejoneses.com/
Client website: http://www.imagination.com/
Lawyers advising on this project:
Nicola McCormick
Stephen Hornsby
David Franks
Roger Billins
Tim O’Shea
<< back to news
|