“We talk to a lot of different companies that say legal seems to be the most significant thing that they’re lacking for their users. So we really try to be part of the community to educate people,” says Creators Legal Founder and CEO Eric Farber when asked about how his company is serving the creator community.
Since the company launched, Creators Legal has been providing content creators with essential legal resources and services. Beyond legal contracts, Eric believes that educating creators on the legal aspects of their work is just as important as the legal contracts they draft in protecting content creators and helping them build their businesses the right way.
As someone who is a lawyer and previously served as intellectual property counsel to the Tupac Shakur estate and dozens of other high-profile clients, Eric has the legal mind, experience, and expertise that content creators can count on, along with his team at Creators Legal, for the right support on matters related to legalities.
“We’re not lawyers practicing law, so we’re not charging people hourly or a percentage, trying to get them as clients, which I think is a lot different,” remarks Eric.
Expanding Services to Meet Creator Needs
Since it launched in late 2020, Creators Legal has broadened the scope of its services to offer contracts and legal documentation across over 14 creator categories. The company is now home to more than 10,000 creators.
“When we launched, we were much more limited in the scope of the contracts and the different types of creators we covered,” Eric explains. “We’ve expanded our offerings a lot and are constantly trying to keep up on the legal education side for creators.”
The company takes a distinctive approach to serving the creative community. “When we talk about the creator economy, we’re not just talking about those who are getting on and putting out content for Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn,” Eric emphasizes. “The creator economy includes the platforms, musicians, filmmakers, authors, artists, and people who put on plays. This is 365 now.”
Addressing Platform Uncertainty
Content creators faced significant challenges in 2024, with platform instability at the forefront. “The uncertainty of platforms and the uncertainty of algorithms” create major obstacles for creators, says Eric, citing recent developments like potential TikTok regulations and major changes at X and Meta that highlight the need for platform diversification.
The potential TikTok ban in the U.S. exemplifies the hurdles creators encounter. “I don’t think TikTok is going away. I do think the ownership will change,” Eric predicts. “Apple and Google have said they will pull TikTok from the App Store and Google Play. It doesn’t mean your app will shut down, but it won’t be supported or updated with the servers because the server companies will also have to pull.”
Eric believes these changes could significantly affect creators’ livelihoods. “If there is a ban, which again, I don’t think there will be… we’re gonna see them move over, and I think we’ll see many creators unable to make the change disappear,” he explains. “TikTok favored unknowns in an organic way. Others have never been that organic.”
Platform modifications extend beyond TikTok. “Not only has Musk changed Twitter drastically, but now Zuckerberg has come out and said there will be major changes. And we don’t know what that means,” Eric notes. “We don’t have anybody running our huge tech platforms right now who cares about the ethics side.”
These shifts create real obstacles for creators. Eric shares an example: “I have a very good friend who’s a big creator on Instagram and has very racey content. He got hacked, lost 300,000 followers for about three weeks, and started a backup account. When he got back, Instagram put him on restriction. He can’t go live for 24 months or something.”
Given these risks, Eric emphasizes platform diversification. “I have been saying the same thing since I got into this industry: have backups!” he says. “The number one thing is to have a newsletter and an email list. Make sure that you connect with people off of platforms as well.”
New platforms present opportunities and risks. “In the last few days, I’ve been contacted no less than twenty times by people commenting on my videos, saying, ‘Here’s an alternative to TikTok,'” Eric shares. “Most of those will go under very quickly.”
Legal complexities for creators continue to increase, with Eric noting that 2024 saw more creator-related lawsuits. “I think we’ll start seeing more significant things now,” he predicts. “It’s cross-border because the creator economy is global.”
The Gifford-Sheil case raises new questions about aesthetic ownership in digital media. “It’s very strange,” Eric remarks. “I represented the Tupac Shakur estate, and many others, as their intellectual property council for close to 20 years, but I’ve never quite seen anything like this. I’d be more surprised if the plaintiff beat the defendant. Then again, nothing surprises me these days.”
The rise in legal challenges indicates industry maturation, particularly regarding intellectual property rights. “I still think there needs to be more education, and unfortunately, there has not been a major update to the intellectual approach to IP in this country in 20 years,” Eric explains. “It’s still antiquated for the needs of creators.”
The industry vet believes content creators need stronger legal knowledge and education on their IP rights. While some creators protect their IP effectively, Eric notes that progress varies and that “more action is needed regarding it.”
On the other hand, Eric observes that creator businesses are showing increasing professionalization and formalization. “There will be some infighting and jostling for the top-tier creators,” he says, noting the development of “the idea of affiliate marketing as careers” becoming prominent.
Eric identifies gaps between industry events and practical legal education: “The Billion View Summit recently took place in Dubai. They had a panel for legal. I hope it was more about IP basics than brand deals and the idea that creators are businesses and must protect themselves as such.”
AI’s Impact on Content Creation
Creators Legal takes a measured approach to AI implementation. “We’ve looked at many different ways companies have implemented AI and haven’t seen anything in our space that we think isn’t just a gimmick,” Eric shares. “We don’t want that. We want to be very deliberate in our introduction of AI and make sure it’s something of value.”
Eric believes AI raises new legal questions about digital cloning and content rights. “What are you allowed to do?” he poses. “When we were doing contracts, we used to say that somebody would have the rights to something worldwide in perpetuity… Well, somebody might take your voice and image, clone it, and do other things with it.”
The legal expert touches on AI creators: “Companies are creating really attractive [AI] men and women by analyzing algorithms and putting these creators out there. Despite not being real, they have millions of followers and make millions of dollars a year.”
Global Impact and Future Development
For Eric, the creator economy’s potential lies in democratizing opportunity globally. “What excites me the most about the creator economy is that it brings the world closer together,” he shares. “I’m a massive fan of different parts of the world, and this gives opportunities to people who would never have had opportunities before.”
As an example, Eric cites Brazilian fitness influencers demonstrating the industry’s global reach: “The Brazilian fitness industry outearns American creators. If people aren’t looking at that and realizing its importance, they’re missing the whole point of the creator economy.”
Eric critiques the industry’s U.S.-centric perspective: “I’m tired of seeing this sort of nationalism among American managers and people who think that they are the ones who are leading the charge about everything within the creator economy.”
Therefore, Creators Legal plans strategic research initiatives. “We’ve done a good-sized one before, and we’re hoping this one is a lot bigger,” Eric shares, adding that this research aims to better understand and serve the global creator community.
The company continues to develop educational resources through the “The Daily Creator” podcast and its YouTube channel. “Our main priority is to continue growing, gain more traction among creators, and adapt our product to how they want to use it,” Eric explains.
As a bootstrapped company, Creators Legal is growing steadily, one step at a time. “Having other companies in the creator economy help us get the word out about our work is helpful,” Eric notes. “Our goal is to still be around in another year, and I’m sure we will be, but we’re just getting us into the hands of more creators.”
The company’s focus transcends legal services by “trying to be part of the community to educate people.”
Guidance for Creators in 2025
For creators managing current challenges, Eric stresses professional business practices. “I urge creators to have multiple platforms, get contracts for their collaborations, be more like businesses, and realize that they are businesses,” he advises.
He emphasizes maintaining work-life balance: “The only way you can be a great business owner is to take a break every once in a while, look at what you’re doing, and plan ahead… that helps people stay creative, imaginative, and motivated.”
“For any creator, I’m supporting… it’s a great place to be in the creator industry. So you shouldn’t get discouraged,” Eric encourages. “Quality over quantity. That’s what we’re seeing. If the content weren’t great, you wouldn’t be watching it. There’s just too much competition now.”
Cecilia Carloni, Interview Manager at Influence Weekly and writer for NetInfluencer. Coming from beautiful Argentina, Ceci has spent years chatting with big names in the influencer world, making friends and learning insider info along the way. When she’s not deep in interviews or writing, she's enjoying life with her two daughters. Ceci’s stories give a peek behind the curtain of influencer life, sharing the real and interesting tales from her many conversations with movers and shakers in the space.
“We talk to a lot of different companies that say legal seems to be the most significant thing that they’re lacking for their users. So we really try to be part of the community to educate people,” says Creators Legal Founder and CEO Eric Farber when asked about how his company is serving the creator community.
Since the company launched, Creators Legal has been providing content creators with essential legal resources and services. Beyond legal contracts, Eric believes that educating creators on the legal aspects of their work is just as important as the legal contracts they draft in protecting content creators and helping them build their businesses the right way.
As someone who is a lawyer and previously served as intellectual property counsel to the Tupac Shakur estate and dozens of other high-profile clients, Eric has the legal mind, experience, and expertise that content creators can count on, along with his team at Creators Legal, for the right support on matters related to legalities.
“We’re not lawyers practicing law, so we’re not charging people hourly or a percentage, trying to get them as clients, which I think is a lot different,” remarks Eric.
Expanding Services to Meet Creator Needs
Since it launched in late 2020, Creators Legal has broadened the scope of its services to offer contracts and legal documentation across over 14 creator categories. The company is now home to more than 10,000 creators.
“When we launched, we were much more limited in the scope of the contracts and the different types of creators we covered,” Eric explains. “We’ve expanded our offerings a lot and are constantly trying to keep up on the legal education side for creators.”
The company takes a distinctive approach to serving the creative community. “When we talk about the creator economy, we’re not just talking about those who are getting on and putting out content for Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn,” Eric emphasizes. “The creator economy includes the platforms, musicians, filmmakers, authors, artists, and people who put on plays. This is 365 now.”
Addressing Platform Uncertainty
Content creators faced significant challenges in 2024, with platform instability at the forefront. “The uncertainty of platforms and the uncertainty of algorithms” create major obstacles for creators, says Eric, citing recent developments like potential TikTok regulations and major changes at X and Meta that highlight the need for platform diversification.
The potential TikTok ban in the U.S. exemplifies the hurdles creators encounter. “I don’t think TikTok is going away. I do think the ownership will change,” Eric predicts. “Apple and Google have said they will pull TikTok from the App Store and Google Play. It doesn’t mean your app will shut down, but it won’t be supported or updated with the servers because the server companies will also have to pull.”
Eric believes these changes could significantly affect creators’ livelihoods. “If there is a ban, which again, I don’t think there will be… we’re gonna see them move over, and I think we’ll see many creators unable to make the change disappear,” he explains. “TikTok favored unknowns in an organic way. Others have never been that organic.”
Platform modifications extend beyond TikTok. “Not only has Musk changed Twitter drastically, but now Zuckerberg has come out and said there will be major changes. And we don’t know what that means,” Eric notes. “We don’t have anybody running our huge tech platforms right now who cares about the ethics side.”
These shifts create real obstacles for creators. Eric shares an example: “I have a very good friend who’s a big creator on Instagram and has very racey content. He got hacked, lost 300,000 followers for about three weeks, and started a backup account. When he got back, Instagram put him on restriction. He can’t go live for 24 months or something.”
Given these risks, Eric emphasizes platform diversification. “I have been saying the same thing since I got into this industry: have backups!” he says. “The number one thing is to have a newsletter and an email list. Make sure that you connect with people off of platforms as well.”
New platforms present opportunities and risks. “In the last few days, I’ve been contacted no less than twenty times by people commenting on my videos, saying, ‘Here’s an alternative to TikTok,'” Eric shares. “Most of those will go under very quickly.”
He adds, “Politics is now playing too big a role in our platforms, and that’s the biggest challenge that I think creators face.”
Legal Challenges in Content Creation
Legal complexities for creators continue to increase, with Eric noting that 2024 saw more creator-related lawsuits. “I think we’ll start seeing more significant things now,” he predicts. “It’s cross-border because the creator economy is global.”
The Gifford-Sheil case raises new questions about aesthetic ownership in digital media. “It’s very strange,” Eric remarks. “I represented the Tupac Shakur estate, and many others, as their intellectual property council for close to 20 years, but I’ve never quite seen anything like this. I’d be more surprised if the plaintiff beat the defendant. Then again, nothing surprises me these days.”
The rise in legal challenges indicates industry maturation, particularly regarding intellectual property rights. “I still think there needs to be more education, and unfortunately, there has not been a major update to the intellectual approach to IP in this country in 20 years,” Eric explains. “It’s still antiquated for the needs of creators.”
The industry vet believes content creators need stronger legal knowledge and education on their IP rights. While some creators protect their IP effectively, Eric notes that progress varies and that “more action is needed regarding it.”
On the other hand, Eric observes that creator businesses are showing increasing professionalization and formalization. “There will be some infighting and jostling for the top-tier creators,” he says, noting the development of “the idea of affiliate marketing as careers” becoming prominent.
Eric identifies gaps between industry events and practical legal education: “The Billion View Summit recently took place in Dubai. They had a panel for legal. I hope it was more about IP basics than brand deals and the idea that creators are businesses and must protect themselves as such.”
AI’s Impact on Content Creation
Creators Legal takes a measured approach to AI implementation. “We’ve looked at many different ways companies have implemented AI and haven’t seen anything in our space that we think isn’t just a gimmick,” Eric shares. “We don’t want that. We want to be very deliberate in our introduction of AI and make sure it’s something of value.”
Eric believes AI raises new legal questions about digital cloning and content rights. “What are you allowed to do?” he poses. “When we were doing contracts, we used to say that somebody would have the rights to something worldwide in perpetuity… Well, somebody might take your voice and image, clone it, and do other things with it.”
The legal expert touches on AI creators: “Companies are creating really attractive [AI] men and women by analyzing algorithms and putting these creators out there. Despite not being real, they have millions of followers and make millions of dollars a year.”
Global Impact and Future Development
For Eric, the creator economy’s potential lies in democratizing opportunity globally. “What excites me the most about the creator economy is that it brings the world closer together,” he shares. “I’m a massive fan of different parts of the world, and this gives opportunities to people who would never have had opportunities before.”
As an example, Eric cites Brazilian fitness influencers demonstrating the industry’s global reach: “The Brazilian fitness industry outearns American creators. If people aren’t looking at that and realizing its importance, they’re missing the whole point of the creator economy.”
Eric critiques the industry’s U.S.-centric perspective: “I’m tired of seeing this sort of nationalism among American managers and people who think that they are the ones who are leading the charge about everything within the creator economy.”
Therefore, Creators Legal plans strategic research initiatives. “We’ve done a good-sized one before, and we’re hoping this one is a lot bigger,” Eric shares, adding that this research aims to better understand and serve the global creator community.
The company continues to develop educational resources through the “The Daily Creator” podcast and its YouTube channel. “Our main priority is to continue growing, gain more traction among creators, and adapt our product to how they want to use it,” Eric explains.
As a bootstrapped company, Creators Legal is growing steadily, one step at a time. “Having other companies in the creator economy help us get the word out about our work is helpful,” Eric notes. “Our goal is to still be around in another year, and I’m sure we will be, but we’re just getting us into the hands of more creators.”
The company’s focus transcends legal services by “trying to be part of the community to educate people.”
Guidance for Creators in 2025
For creators managing current challenges, Eric stresses professional business practices. “I urge creators to have multiple platforms, get contracts for their collaborations, be more like businesses, and realize that they are businesses,” he advises.
He emphasizes maintaining work-life balance: “The only way you can be a great business owner is to take a break every once in a while, look at what you’re doing, and plan ahead… that helps people stay creative, imaginative, and motivated.”
“For any creator, I’m supporting… it’s a great place to be in the creator industry. So you shouldn’t get discouraged,” Eric encourages. “Quality over quantity. That’s what we’re seeing. If the content weren’t great, you wouldn’t be watching it. There’s just too much competition now.”