These requirements apply to all business activities in this division.
compliance
Uk
Ongoing
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 — copyright and related rights
Enforced by:
IPO
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
The core regime for the division. Films, sound recordings, broadcasts, musical and literary works are protected works; producers must clear and license rights in pre-existing material (music sync/mechanical, archive footage, scripts) and respect performers' rights and moral rights. There is no registration — copyright arises automatically. The Intellectual Property Office administers the wider IP framework; infringement is enforced through the civil courts (with criminal offences for commercial-scale piracy).
compliance
Great_Britain
Ongoing
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 — general duties
Enforced by:
HSE
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
General duty to protect employees and others affected by the business. Film/TV production is higher-risk than most office work — stunts, rigging, working at height, electrical, sets and locations — and HSE publishes specific guidance for the entertainment and live-performance sector.
insurance
Great_Britain
Annual
Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969
Enforced by:
HSE
Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969
Compulsory for any business employing at least one person. Production companies engaging crew or cast as employees must hold cover; the heavy use of freelance and short-engagement crew makes the employee/contractor boundary a recurring compliance point.
registration
Uk
Annual
UK GDPR + Data Protection Act 2018
Enforced by:
ICO
Data Protection Act 2018; UK GDPR (retained EU law)
Applies to any business processing personal data — staff, contributors, talent, audience and subscriber data. Contributor releases, casting databases and on-screen identification of individuals all raise data-protection (and, for journalism/documentary, exemption) questions. ICO registration unless specifically exempt.
compliance
Great_Britain
Ongoing
Equality Act 2010 — protected characteristics
Enforced by:
EHRC
Equality Act 2010
Discrimination, harassment and victimisation prohibited across nine protected characteristics in employment, casting and the provision of services. Casting for authenticity can engage the occupational-requirement exception, which must be justified.
compliance
England_Wales
Ongoing
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
Enforced by:
LOCAL_FIRE_AUTHORITY
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
The responsible person must carry out a fire risk assessment and maintain fire-safety arrangements for studios, offices, edit suites and cinema premises. Devolved variants: Fire (Scotland) Act 2005; Fire and Rescue Services (NI) Order 2006.