| Previous Events & CLE Programs
May 9,2008
CLE Program
Hot Topics in Arts, Entertainment and Sports Law
This seminar brings together some of the most highly acclaimed arts, entertainment and sports lawyers for a lively discussion of emerging trends and cutting edge issues related to film, interactive entertainment, social networking and sports franchises. The panelists will address business and legal concerns, particularly related to revenue generation, new technologies and intellectual property rights, in these rapidly changing fields.
Click here for complete program description.
March 12,2008
Committee Meeting
Press & Privacy: Freedom of the Press & the Public's Right to Know vs. Family Privacy Rights
Sponsors
Arts, Entertainment & Sports Law Committee
Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Section
Massachusetts Practice & Procedure Committee
Mike Gass, Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP , will discuss a recent case involving media access to autopsy reports of two firefighters who died while fighting a fire in West Roxbury in August, 2007. The reports revealed traces of drugs and alcohol in the firefighters systems at the time of the fire. Mr. Gass represented WHDH/Channel 7 in opposing a restraining order issued by a Superior Court judge to the firefighters union prohibiting Channel 7's release of the story and prevailed in the SJC. He will discuss both the first amendment and procedural aspects of the case and its impact on the law related to freedom of the press.
February 15, 2008
Committee Meeting
Moral Rights in Massachusetts & the US after Phillips v. Pembroke Real Estate, Inc.
Andrew Epstein, Barker, Epstein & Loscocco, will discuss his experiences in the case of Phillips v. Pembroke Real Estate*, where he represented David Phillips, a Massachusetts sculptor. The case involved the question of whether site-specific art is protected under state and federal moral rights laws, namely the Visual Artists Rights Act (Section 106A of the Copyright Act) and the Massachusetts Art Preservation Act. Drew tried the case in US District Court and later on appeal to the First Circuit and also on appeal to the SJC. Join Mr. Epstein as he discusses his experiences with the case and the moral rights landscape after this groundbreaking 2004 action
*Phillips v. Pembroke Real Estate, Inc., 288 F. Supp.2d 89 (D. Mass. 2003); on a certified question to the Supreme Judicial Court, 443 Mass. 110 (2004); on appeal, 459 F.3d 128 (1st Cir. 2006).
November 15, 2007
Committee Meeting
The Top 9 Legal Mistakes Authors (And Their Lawyers) Make
Sponsors
Intellectual Property Law Committee
Arts, Entertainment & Sports Law Committee
Howard G. Zaharoff, Morse, Barnes-Brown & Pendleton, P.C., will discuss the most common mistakes authors and their lawyers make when submitting a proposal, engaging a collaborator or agent, or signing on with a publisher. Come learn what these mistakes are and how to avoid them.
Mr. Zaharoff is a former co-chair of the Boston Bar Association's Arts and Entertainment Law Committee, Computer and Internet Law Committee, and Intellectual Property Section. He serves on the faculty for the Harvard Medical School Department of Continuing Medical Education annual “Publishing Books, Memoirs and Other Creative Non-Fiction” Course, and has also lectured on publishing law topics for the Copyright Society, National Writers Union, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, and MCLE, among others. He is a frequent contributor to Writer's Digest and has also written on publishing law topics for Publishers Weekly, Folio: and The Writer. He is the author of Stump Your Lawyer! (Chronicle Books 2007).
September 28, 2007
Committee Meeting
Lights, Camera, Action: Filmmaking in Massachusetts
Nicholas Paleologos, Executive Director, Massachusetts Film Office and Joel S. Shames, Partner, Shames & Litwin, will discuss how legislation and other factors have helped to transform our state into a premier venue for filmmaking. According to the July 2007 issue of Production Guide Magazine, Massachusetts ranks #2 among the top places to shoot in the U.S. Current film projects in the area include Lionsgate Films' Bachelor Number 2, New Line Cinema's The Women, and Sony's Pink Panther 2.
June 29, 2007
Committee Meeting
Representing the Emerging Musical Artist in 200
Patti Jones, a former music educator, author and adjunct professor at New England School of Law, will discuss the new challenges that emerging artists face in today’s constantly morphing music business.
In addition to representing various entertainment clients, Ms. Jones works extensively with developing artists, assisting them in their navigation through the creative, business and legal decisions necessary for major label presentation in 2007.
May 18, 2007
Committee Meeting
Hot Topics in Media and Entertainment Law
This seminar brings together some of Massachusetts’ leading media and entertainment lawyers for a lively discussion of recent developments related to traditional media, new media, interactive entertainment, music, television and film. The panelists will take a practical look at recent cases, legislative trends, and sophisticated licensing and intellectual property issues in these rapidly changing fields.
Click here for complete program description
April 13, 2007
Committee Meeting
Baseball: Past and Present
In honor of the Red Sox’s Opening Day, please join us for a lively discussion about current legal issues in baseball and its glorious past. Daniel Goldberg, of Bingham McCutchen LLP, will discuss legal issues arising in his representation of the Boston Red Sox. Roger Abrams, Richardson Professor of Law and former dean of Northeastern Law School, will discuss his recent research into Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun’s opinion in Flood v. Kuhn, upholding the anti-trust exemption for baseball and celebrating 88 baseball players and owners.
January 11, 2007
Committee Meeting
Visa Options for Artists, Entertainers and Athletes
**This meeting is so-sponsored with the Immigration Law Committee, New Lawyers Section and Labor & Employment Law Section**
Eileen Morrison of Law Office of Eileen Morrison will discuss how immigration counsel help foreign artists, entertainers and athletes become certified to work in the United States. Since these professions do not generally work forty hour weeks and frequently work independently of an employer who might otherwise sponsor them, counsel often must seek tools beyond the customary labor certification and H-1B visa. Specifically, she will discuss:
- O-1s for the extraordinary
- Ps for the internationally recognized
- H-2B for the truly temporary gigs
- Schedule A Labor Certifications for Performing Artists
- Self-Sponsoring for permanent residence
December 7, 2006
Committee Meeting
Orphan Works and Other Proposed Copyright Act Amendments
Stacey Dogan, Professor of Law at Northeastern Law School, and Glenn Pudelka, of Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP, will discuss orphan works and other proposed amendments to the Copyright Act.
November 15, 2006
Committee Meeting
Topical Issues in Video Game Law
Steven A. Bercu of Lawyers for Interactive Media & Entertainment LLC and Senta L. Wong of Fish & Richardson P.C. will discuss key legal and business issues in the interactive entertainment industry, including trends in content, emergence of new platforms, complexities of converging technologies, and protection of virtual property. The speakers will present case studies of video game transactions and share their perspectives as in-house and outside counsel to game publishers, developers, and content and technology providers.
September 29, 2006
Committee Meeting
Collaborating with Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts of Massachusetts, Inc. (VLA)
Brenda M. Ulrich, Assistant Director, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts of Massachusetts, Inc. (VLA) and Peter J. Caruso II, a partner at Caruso & Caruso, LLP will discuss services offered by the VLA as well as upcoming events and opportunities to support the VLA.
Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts of Massachusetts, Inc. is a non-profit organization established to meet the legal needs of the state's artistic community. VLA provides a Legal Referral Program, seminars and workshops to artists and arts organizations from all creative disciplines including, among others, visual arts, music, literary arts, performing arts, and film and video.
May 19, 2006
CLE Program
Hot Topics in Arts, Entertainment & Sports
Full program description
This unique and timely program will explore the latest developments in publishing, new media, television and film, and sports. The experienced and high profile panel will bring you up-to-date on recent cases, pending legislation and other legal issues currently being addressed or monitored by them in their respective fields.
May 16, 2006
Committee Meeting
Copyright and Google Image Search
Co-sponsored with the Intellectual Property Litigation Committee and Computer & Internet Law Committee.
Robert A. Bertsche, a partner at Prince Lobel Glovsky and Tye LLP, will discuss the copyright infringement case brought by Perfect 10, an adult oriented website, against Google.
Perfect 10 claims that Google's Image search feature infringes its copyright by displaying thumbnail versions of pictures from Perfect 10's website similar to thumbnail photos sold by Perfect 10. Perfect 10 has won the first battle, obtaining a preliminary injunction from the US District Court in Los Angeles , which preliminarily rejected Google's fair use defense. The case implicates broad issues of copyright infringement on the internet.
November 15, 2005
Committee Meeting
Legal Issues That Arise in Turning Children’s Books into Movies, and Creating Educational Materials for the Classroom
Dr. Randy Testa, Vice President of Education and Professional Development for Walden Media, LLC, will discuss legal issues that arise in turning children’s books into movies and creating educational materials for the classroom. Walden Media, based in Los Angeles and Boston , makes critically acclaimed movies for children and young adults, and develops innovative ways to use movies in the classroom. Recent Walden Media |
