Entertainment and Media Law

The Entertainment and the Arts Legal Aid Clinic is a clinical course in which students will provide legal services to real clients. Specifically, the Entertainment and the Arts Legal Aid Clinic will provide production legal services to "micro-budget" (generally under $500,000) movies that have already secured financing and are being produced during the school term.

This course examines tort causes of action for defamation and invasion of privacy. It covers both the common law of defamation, including the actions of libel and slander, and the constitutional limits placed on such actions. In addressing defamation, the course will explore the dramatic tension between reputational interests and interests in freedom of speech and expression. Although this conflict may arise in any defamation action, it is particularly acute when media outlets critique public officials and figures. Thus, special emphasis will be given to such cases.

This course provides an in-depth examination of the law of intellectual property licensing. Licensing is one of the most prevalent types of contracts in the entertainment, media and technology industries today. This course will focus on the importance of licensing to these industries and will look at the similarities, as well as the differences, in licensing practices within and between these industries. The course will also look at licensing law and practice in the European Union.

This course explores the relationships and interests of the parties to various contracts in the music industry. Contracts to be covered include those governing recording artists, record producers, and personal managers. The course will feature actual contracts, guest speakers, and other sources of information that provide a real-world picture of the U.S. music industry. By the end of the course, students can expect to learn the following: 1. Students will learn how real world factors such as leverage and relationships impact the negotiation and completion of various agreements in the U.S.

This course surveys the law of trademarks and unfair competition, including the right of publicity and other related statutory and common law schemes. A trademark is a word, symbol, phrase or other device used to identify the products or services of a particular manufacturer or provider and distinguish them from those of another. For example, the trademark "Apple" (along with its famous silhouette image) identifies the computers and other products produced by Apple Inc. and distinguishes them from the products of Microsoft, Google and others.

This practical skills course teaches the principles of contemporary commercial contract drafting and introduces the student to selected documents used in common business transactions. Examples of such transactions include, but are not limited to, the following: asset purchase, escrow, and web site development. Among the topics to be covered are the business purposes of selected contract doctrines; translating business ideas into contract concepts; drafting the parts of a contract; drafting with clarity and without ambiguity; adding value to the deal; and review and comment on the contract.

This course surveys the law of mass communications with references to print, radio, television, internet, and other forms of distribution. The subject matter addressed includes the First Amendment, defamation, invasion of privacy and the right of publicity, Federal Communications Commission regulation, advertising and commercial speech, fair use, newsgathering and other relevant subjects. Students interested in pursuing a paid summer fellowship with the Media Access Project in Washington, D.C., and those considering a career in telecommunications, should contact Professor Epstein.

The Internet and e-commerce industries are among the fastest growing segments of the global economy. Southern California is a major center of information technology (IT) vendors and e-commerce enterprises. The Internet and IT industries are generating a complex and rapidly developing body of laws that show no sign of abating. Lawyers with an expertise in this area are in great demand.

This course will focus on the legal and institutional regulation of high school, collegiate, and Olympic sports, as well as the business transactions that are rightfully an integral part of those sports. The course will also cover health, safety, and risk management issues in these amateur sports.

This course is an overview of those aspects of entertainment law, other than copyright, encompassed in the relationships between artist and personal manager, artist and agent, artist and record producer, and artist and motion picture producer. Other areas explored are: right of publicity and performer's rights; protection of ideas by property, quasi-contract, and express and implied contract theories; television packaging deals; and motion picture financing and distribution. Prerequisites: Copyright Law (538 or 538A)