Panel Discussion on IP issues in the presidential campaign -- Feb. 19 at 6pm in Los Angeles

Those in the LA area may be interested in attending this panel discussion on IP issues in the 2008 presidential campaign, sponsored by the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law Section. (I was an attorney on Sen. McCain's campaign and am one of the panelists.) You may register by following the link below.


http://onlinestore.lacba.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=ViewCalendarEvent&CalendarEventID=2554

Intellectual Property & The Campaign: A View From The Trenches

02/19/2009

Presented by: Intellectual Property & Entertainment Law Section (IPEL)

Program Information:

Reception and Panel Discussion

(cocktails & hors d'oeuvres precedes program)

This program will feature the role of attorneys in vetting copyright and other intellectual property matters that arise on the campaign trail.

THE ESTEEMED PANEL WILL DISCUSS:

• The role of campaign attorneys in vetting intellectual property issues.

• The use of copyrighted material in campaign ads and videos, and the fair use issues it raises.

• The use (and abuse) of the DMCA takedown process, and the McCain campaign's response to improper takedowns.

• Analysis of complaints by musicians about their songs being used at McCain rallies. Is getting an ASCAP/BMI license enough? Do musicians have a right of publicity or Lanham Act claim if a song they perform is used without their permission?

• Right of publicity issues. Could Paris Hilton and Britney Spears have sued John McCain for putting them in ads? What about the McCain-Obama Dance Off video?

• The Jackson Browne v. McCain lawsuit arising from the use of "Running On Empty" in a video by the Ohio Republican Party, which involves anti-SLAPP and 12(b)(6) fair use motions that Lincoln recently filed.

Speaker Panel:

Lincoln Bandlow, a partner with Lathrop & Gage LLP in Century City, California, where he practices sophisticated business litigation and specializes in litigating Media, First Amendment, Intellectual Property and other entertainment-related matters. He has represented clients in the motion picture, television, publishing, broadcasting and advertising fields, as well as several of the principal underwriters for the entertainment industry. Lincoln has litigated and tried cases in both state and federal court in matters involving claims for copyright infringement, defamation, right of publicity, right of privacy, trademark infringement and related claims for clients such as CBS, NBC, Fox, A&E Networks, Steven Bochco, EMI, Virgin Records, Hawaiian Airlines and Hallmark Cards.

Elena Muravina, the CEO of Mini Movie Channel (MMC), a media company that webcasts on a broadband channel at minimovie.com. MMC specializes in short film content. It offers a forum for films produced by independent filmmakers, and also produces original content, including political satire. Elena also continues to provide legal services to clients, primarily in the entertainment and intellectual property areas, through her affiliation with the entertainment law firm of Rosenfeld, Meyer & Susman, LLP where she serves Of Counsel.

Ben Sheffner, a copyright/First Amendment/media/entertainment attorney and former journalist. Ben has worked as Senior Counsel, Content Protection Litigation at Twentieth Century Fox, as Litigation Counsel in the NBC Universal Television Group, and as an associate in the Century City office of O'Melveny & Myers LLP. From July-November 2008, Ben served as Special Counsel on Senator John McCain's presidential campaign where, among other responsibilities, he handled the campaign's copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property issues. From 2006-2008, Ben served as Co-Chair of the Media Law Resource Center's California Chapter. He now blogs at http://copyrightsandcampaigns.blogspot.com/.

Program Chairs:

Allison Roher, White O'Connor Fink & Brenner LLP

Shahrokh Sheik, Independent Film & Television Alliance

Location:
Luxe Hotel Bel Air, 11461 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles

Parking:
Valet Parking only $8

Times:
Registration: 6:00 PM
Meal/Reception: 6:00 PM
Program: 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM