Media Law Resource Center

16th Annual Entertainment & Media Law Conference

Thursday, January 17, 2019
National Center for the Preservation of Democracy, Los Angeles

Sessions

"Reporting in the Age of #MeToo"

This two-part marquee panel will explore the challenges for news and entertainment companies from the ever-increasing number of reports of sexual misconduct arising from the #metoo movement. In the first part, staff members from the Los Angeles Times will talk about difficulties in reporting on claims of abuse that are often decades old from a journalistic, editorial, and legal perspective. In the second part, we will discuss the #metoo movement from a studio's point of view, examining issues arising from these accusations through a series of hypotheticals and looking at developments such as recent state-level legislation on the use of non-disclosure agreements.

Part I Moderator: George Freeman, MLRC

Part I Panelists:

Amy Kaufman, L.A. Times
Daniel Miller, L.A. Times
Jeff Glasser, L.A. Times
Kimi Yoshino, L.A. Times

Part II Moderator: Orly Ravid, Southwestern Law School

Part II Panelists:

Ivy Kagan Bierman, Loeb & Loeb
Joel Grossman, JAMS
Kate Gold, Drinker Biddle

"Copyright, Trademark, and the Public Domain: The New Era of Intellectual Property Management"

For the first time in many years, creative works will begin to pass into the public domain on January 1, 2019 – but savvy media companies have prepared for the transition by integrating copyright and trademark protection strategies with respect to their intellectual property portfolios. This session will consider the moving line of copyright protection, examine how characters and settings from fictional worlds can take on new roles in merchandising, and discuss how older IP can find new vitality with reference to recent cases applying trademark law to discrete elements of creative works.

Moderator: Andrew Thomas, Jenner & Block

Panelists:
Andrew Hughes, Viacom Media Network
Eleanor Lackman, CDAS
Monique Cheng Joe, NBCUniversal Media

"Developments in Idea Submission Law"

What are the current best practices for handling idea submissions? Where do idea theft claims end, and copyright claims begin? When and how does “substantial similarity” rear its ugly head in misappropriation cases? Should any studio ever host a writing or video competition? Our panel of attorneys, deep in the trenches on these topics, will survey the battleground of recent cases and discuss strategy.

Moderator: David Aronoff, Fox Rothschild, LLP

Panelists:
Bob Rotstein, Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP
Kelli Sager, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
Peter Afrasiabi, One LLP
Tamerlin J. Godley, Munger Tolles & Olson LLP
Tania Hoff, NBC Universal Media

Talent fired and series canceled after bad behavior online. News outlets caught in the crossfire of polarized political mobs. Social media sites offer an unparalleled opportunity for news and entertainment companies to connect with their audiences – but online communities can quickly turn on the media when celebrities misbehave, long-forgotten tweets surface, or politicians stir up their followers. This session will examine the dynamics of a social media backlash, and discuss the legal and practical ways in which studios and news outlets can respond to sudden crises and prepare for the future. #YouCantTWEETthat

Moderator: Jeffrey Hermes, MLRC

Panelists:
Darrell D. Miller, Fox Rothschild
Karen North, USC Annenberg
RonNell Anderson Jones, S.J. Quinney College of Law