Entertainment Law

This course will focus on legal issues of particular salience to the “entertainment industry,” defined for this purpose as those individuals and firms concerned with the commercial creation and distribution of fixed expressive content marketed for its entertainment value. The course will survey several areas of legal doctrine that are common to the entire industry: domestic and international copyright law, trademark and right of publicity, industry organization, expressive torts and their First Amendment limitations, and contracts pertaining to credit and control. Grades will be based on a final paper which will be targeted for submission to one of several recognized IP & entertainment law writing competitions, and in-class discussion of casebook problems.