Entertainment Law

Catalog description

This course covers legal issues that arise in various entertainment industries through discussion of contemporary issues along with personality rights and intellectual property rights associated with entertainment assets. Issues will be covered within the context of business models, pervasive pop-culture influences affecting entrepreneurial activities, business transactions and contractual provisions unique to creative industries, commercialization of celebrity image, rights of privacy of public figures, defamation, related advanced copyright and trademark issues, ethics and fiduciary responsibilities, and other emerging topics. Students will be introduced to the legal reasoning process necessary to analyze these issues in context and compose creative solutions that both address and avoid the legal problems presented. Instructional methods for the course will include lecture and classroom discussion focused on readings and other materials. The course builds on the introductory business law curriculum by providing an advanced study of legal principles highly relevant to businesses that employ, promote, or monetize creative talent. Upon completion of the course, students should understand the legal concepts impacting the entertainment industry and the impact this has on talent, intellectual ownership, copyrights and trademarks.