On March 13, the Fordham Media & Entertainment Law Society (MELS) held its fourth annual Entertainment Law Symposium, where students, faculty, and practitioners discussed media and entertainment industry developments and networked with leaders from major corporations, academia, and private practice.
The first of two speaker panels, “Say What You Need to Say: Social Media & The First Amendment,” dealt with issues surrounding the scope of social media companies’ ability to regulate online speech and how this treatment has differed from First Amendment free speech principles. Much of the discussion also centered around the Columbia University Knight First Amendment Institute’s ongoing litigation, Knight Institute v. Trump, which challenges President Trump’s ability to block Twitter followers with critical viewpoints. Joining the panel were Alexei Auld, social media and entertainment counsel at Verizon; Katie Fallow, senior attorney at Columbia University’s Knight First Amendment Institute; Linda Steinman, partner at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP; and Pedram Tabibi, business litigation and social media attorney at Meltzer Lippe Goldstein & Breitstone LLP. The panel was moderated by Fordham Law Professor Abner Greene.
The second panel, “The Show Must Go On: Live Events & The Law,” explored the legal issues surrounding concerts, music festivals, theatrical productions, and celebrity appearances. The panelists discussed best practices for negotiating controversial deal terms, such as radius clauses and force majeure provisions, as well as how the industry has reacted to new live streaming technologies and whether these technologies have implications for copyright, publicity, and privacy rights. Joining the panel were Stephanie Morris, senior vice president of business affairs for music at Paradigm Talent Agency; Jonathan Olson, senior vice president of business and legal affairs at Disney Theatrical Group; Danielle Schiffman, director of business and legal affairs at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; and Tres Williams, senior vice president of business affairs at iHeartMedia Inc. The panel was moderated by Fordham Law Adjunct Professor Derek Dessler.
The symposium concluded with a keynote conversation between Jim Cooperman, senior vice president of business and legal affairs at Madison Square Garden Entertainment, and Fordham Law Professor N. Cameron Russell. The two discussed Cooperman’s background and passion for the entertainment industry, his previous roles as a music industry executive, and his current tenure managing MSG Entertainment’s portfolio of productions and brands. The keynote concluded with Cooperman offering advice to students interested in careers in entertainment and answering questions from the audience.
“Our fourth annual symposium built on the success of last year’s program and we are really excited about the symposium gaining traction each year,” said Harrison Kay, one of this year’s symposium coordinators. “We received great feedback from the panelists and the attendees, who really enjoyed these substantive and candid discussions.”
“We had a great time putting together the fourth annual MELS Symposium with such a fantastic slate of guest speakers,” said Jonathan D’Errico, the other symposium coordinator. “We look forward to another exciting program next year!”
The Fordham Media & Entertainment Law Society (MELS) is a student-run organization dedicated to supporting the media and entertainment community and students interested in areas of the law relating to film, music, publishing, art, theater, the Internet, technology, and mass media. MELS’ yearly programming is designed to offer students and professionals a comprehensive set of resources for information and opportunities in the fields of media and entertainment law. Write to MELS and follow the organization on Twitter.