Dispute Types
Typical Creative-Sector Disputes
The kinds of disputes the Creative Industries Mediation Network is designed to address.
The categories below illustrate the range of matters for which CIMN may be relevant. Many creative-sector disputes do not sit neatly in one box. They often overlap across ownership, contribution, commercial expectations, representation, process and working relationships.
If your situation does not fit neatly into one category, an initial consultation will help identify whether mediation may be appropriate.
Founders & Creative Partners
Creative partnership breakdown
Disputes between co-founders or long-term creative collaborators where the working relationship has broken down — often involving overlapping obligations, shared IP and entangled finances.
Equity and ownership disagreements
Conflicts over profit-sharing, equity arrangements, or the value of creative contribution versus financial investment in a creative venture.
Dissolution of creative partnerships
Where a creative partnership needs to end, mediation can facilitate an agreed process for separating responsibilities, rights and ongoing obligations.
Rights, IP & Ownership
Creative ownership disputes
Who owns what — in situations where multiple contributors have created something jointly and written agreements are absent, incomplete or contested.
Licensing and royalty conflicts
Disputes over the terms of licensing arrangements, royalty calculations, or entitlement to ongoing income from creative works.
Credit and attribution disagreements
Professional and reputational disputes over credit, billing, public recognition, and the attribution of creative output.
Management, Agency & Representation
Manager–artist disputes
Breakdown of representation relationships, including disagreements over commission, strategy, obligations and termination of management agreements.
Agent–client conflicts
Disputes between talent agencies and their clients over fee structures, exclusivity, referral obligations and the terms of representation.
Label and publisher disagreements
Conflicts between artists or authors and record labels, publishers or distributors over contract terms, creative control and income.
Production & Collaboration
Co-production and commissioning conflicts
Disputes between co-producers, commissioners and contributors on creative projects — including disagreements over direction, scope and delivery.
Freelance and contractor disputes
Conflicts between creative professionals and the organisations that engage them, over payment, scope of work, ownership of deliverables and termination.
Collaboration and contribution disputes
Where the relative contribution of multiple collaborators to a joint work is contested, mediation can help reach a practical resolution outside court.
Creative Agencies & Clients
Agency–client scope conflicts
Disagreements between creative agencies and clients over what was agreed, what was delivered, and who owns the resulting work.
Fee and payment disputes
Disputes over creative fees, retainer arrangements, project pricing and the conditions under which payment is due.
Ownership of creative deliverables
Conflicts over who owns the output of a creative commission — including designs, copy, code, photography or strategic materials.
When Mediation Is Likely to Help
Mediation is often particularly useful where the dispute involves an ongoing or recently fractured professional relationship, where the issues are wider than a single contractual claim, or where confidentiality and practical control over the outcome matter.
- the dispute involves both commercial and relational issues
- the parties want a private route rather than immediate public escalation
- future working contact, transition or separation still needs to be managed
- contribution, credit, ownership or expectations are disputed but not easily resolved through correspondence alone
- the parties need a structured conversation, not only a legal argument
When Another Route May Be More Appropriate
Some disputes require urgent injunctive relief, formal regulatory action, safeguarding escalation, or a court decision on a point the parties cannot usefully negotiate. An initial consultation can help determine whether mediation is likely to be suitable.
Not Sure Whether Your Dispute Fits These Categories?
An initial consultation can help identify whether mediation is likely to be appropriate, even where the dispute does not sit neatly within one category. There is no obligation to proceed.
Arrange an Initial ConsultationExplore Whether Mediation May Help
An initial consultation is a brief, confidential conversation to explore the mediation process and whether it may be appropriate for your situation.
CIMN is an initiative of Mediation Chambers