Experts to share insights on how the music and entertainment industries can adapt to a post-COVID-19 reality
Music and tech conference Mondo.NYC has announced its program line-up and speakers for its continuing legal education (CLE) music and tech law symposium, which will be held virtually on 16 October.
The “Business as Unusual” CLE program will feature the top music lawyers and thought leaders in an all-day entertainment law webinar tackling some of the biggest legal developments impacting the music industry as it adjusts to a post-COVID-19 world.
The program is powered by Michelman & Robinson LLP and Covington & Burling LLP, and sponsored by the Recording Artists Project (RAP) at Harvard Law School, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, and Moses & Singer LLP.
The 2020 Mondo CLE Steering Committee members consists of chair Michael Poster of Michelman & Robinson, Toby Butterfield of Moses & Singer, Lisa E. Davis of Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, Adrian J. Perry of Covington & Burling, Monika A. Tashman of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, and Lowry Yankwich of Harvard Law School.
Here’s the program and list of speakers for the event:
Pivoting from Live to Virtual: Navigating the Legal Challenges
Moderator: Lisa E. Davis, partner at Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC
Panellists:
- Mechelle Evans, senior corporate counsel at Essence Communications
- Dan M. Shulman, partner at Eisner LLP
The panel will talk about legal issues arising from the sudden pivot of festival organisers from a live to a virtual model and share evolving strategies for addressing these issues.
Fixing Digital Infrastructure: Do the DMCA “Safe Harbours” Need Repair?
Panellists:
- Erica Carter, legal and business affairs counsel at Sesame Workshop
- Michael Lewis, intellectual property protection and cyber security chief counsel at Entertainment Software Association (ESA)
The panel will discuss how platforms and users can deal with legal and business difficulties created by s.512 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
The New Music Acquisitions Market
Moderator: Michael Poster, partner at Michelman & Robinson, LLP
Panellists:
- Rob Amir, partner and head of transaction analytics at Vine Alternative Investments
- Sherrese Clarke Soares, founder and CEO at Tempo Music Investments
- Richard Conlon, founding partner at Catch Point Rights Partners
- Nari Matsuura, partner at Massarsky Consulting
The panel will cover how the M&A market continues to develop and how it is likely to be impacted by changes to industry economics, especially amid the COVID-19 crisis.
High Anxiety: The New Law and Practice of Musical Composition Copyright Litigation
Panellists:
- Judith Finell, president of Judith Finell MusicServices Inc.
- more to be announced
Established litigators and their clients, technologists, and musicologists in high profile music cases will share their first-hand experiences on copyright infringement in the music industry.
Exploring the Convergence of Music, Video Games and Esports: Novel Issues in an Emerging Virtual World
Moderator: Adrian J. Perry, partner at Covington & Burling LLP
Panellists:
- Simon Frankel, partner at Covington & Burling LLP
- Ben Golant, chief counsel for intellectual property policy at ESA
- Oscar Pelaez, vice-president at business and legal affairs and global digital partnerships at Kobalt Music
The panel will explore the novel issues creative partnerships and integrations between the music, video game, and e-sports worlds present, including the latest developments in the use and licensing of intellectual property and likeness rights, considerations around technology integration, and data collection.
Riddles, Risks and the Road Back to Live: Legal Issues in Live Entertainment
Moderator: Monika A. Tashman, partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
Panellists:
- Dr. Emily Carrier, senior manager at Manatt Health
- Jim Digby, CEO at Show Makers Inc.
- Natalia Nastaskin, general manager at Global Music Group, UTA
- Bill Silva, founder and CEO at Bill Silva Entertainment
The panel will explore COVID-19 transmission risks and liability associated with live events, and issues related to mitigation and containment efforts, privacy, the changing economics for stakeholders, and the use of technology and virtual reality.
Registration is open at Mondo.NYC’s CLE program webpage, and participants will have full access to Mondo’s four-day business conference and showcase music festival.
