Friday, October 23, 2026

UCLA School of Law, Room 1357

 

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8:30 to 9:00 AM
Check-In / Light Refreshments

 

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9:00 to 9:15 AM
Introductory Remarks

 

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9:15 to 10:30 AM
Annual Litigation Update
(1.25 General CLE)

9:15am – 10:00am
Part I – Leading cases involving copyright, trademark, First Amendment, rights of privacy and rights of publicity

Speakers:
William (Bill) Coats, Sole Practitioner
Mark C. Humphrey, Partner, Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP

10:00am – 10:30am
Part II – Prediction Markets: Regulatory, Compliance and Litigation Matters

Speaker:
Barry O’Connell, Partner, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

 

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10:35 to 11:50 AM
AI and Software Development
(1.25 General CLE)

This panel will explore how AI is transforming software development, including issues around IP ownership, registration, infringement, and enforcement.

Moderator:
Rusty Weiss, Partner, Sidley Austin

Panelists:
Oren Hoffman, VP and Associate General Counsel, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.
Miriam Lord, Associate Register of Copyrights and Director of Public Information and Education, U.S. Copyright Office
Diane Lu, Director, Senior Counsel, CIPP/US at SoftBank Group International
Santiago Velez, Senior Counsel, AI Patents and Technology, Electronic Arts

 

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11:50 AM to 12:30 PM
Lunch & Networking Break

 

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12:30 PM to 1:00 PM
Lunch Presentation – The State of Gaming
(0.5 General CLE)

This presentation presents a broad overview of the role of video games within the entertainment ecosystem and the various challenges facing the industry.

Speaker:
Kaare Eriksen, Media Analyst, Luminate Intelligence

 

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1:00 to 1:15 PM
Networking Break

 

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1:15 to 2:30 PM
Legal Tech, Identity, and Ethics
(1.25 Ethics and Technology CLE)

This panel will explore the growing role of AI-powered legal technology, digital likenesses, and virtual agents in legal practice, with a focus on attorneys' ethical obligations to clients and the profession.

 

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2:35 to 3:50 PM
Compliance and Child Privacy
(1.25 General CLE)

This panel will take a practical look at privacy compliance and recent trends in the U.S. and Europe, covering children's privacy, age verification, GDPR, and insights from recent enforcement actions, including the recent Meta settlement and its future implications. 

Moderator:
Julia Powles, Executive Director, UCLA Institute for Technology, Law & Policy, UCLA School of Law

Panelists:
Sara Hawkins, Assistant General Counsel, Consumer Affairs, Aristocrat Technologies
Nathalie Koch, Partner, Taylor Wessing
Kristen Watts, Lead Counsel, Krafton Americas

 

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3:50 to 4:15 PM
Networking Break

 

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4:15 to 5:30 PM (PDT)
GC Roundtable
(1.25 General CLE)

The best GCs are conversant on cutting-edge legal and business issues. Join speakers from leading technology and video game companies for a discussion of emerging trends, what keeps them up at night, and the challenge of advising companies as technological innovation, regulatory scrutiny, litigation risk, and global uncertainty collide in real time.

Moderator:
Seth J. Steinberg, Principal, Digital Arts Law; Co-Chair, Digital Media & Video Games Conference

Panelists:
Elizabeth Cohen, General Counsel, Crunchyroll
Dan Emerson, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.
Sarah Fowler, General Counsel, SAG-AFTRA
Jeff Shieh, General Counsel, Sega of America, Inc.

 

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5:30 to 5:35 PM (PDT)
Closing Remarks

 

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5:35 to 6:45 PM (PDT)
Reception (Sponsored by Taylor Wessing)

 

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CA MCLE Credits: UCLA School of Law is a State Bar of California approved MCLE provider. By attending all sessions, you may earn up to 6.75 credits.

Join us for a networking reception immediately following the day’s program. The reception will provide an opportunity to connect with speakers, colleagues, and fellow attendees in a relaxed setting over light refreshments and beverages. 

The reception will be held outdoors in Shapiro Courtyard, located at UCLA School of Law. 

Badges are required for entry and may be picked up at the check-in tables near the entrance of Law Room 1357, located on the first floor of the UCLA School of Law.

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Check-in begins at 8:30 AM, and the program will begin promptly at 9:00 AM. Refreshments and beverages will be available during check-in.  

• Law School Parking Lot (On Charles E. Young Dr. East) | Map 

  • $30/day | 3-minute walk to the Law School building. 

  • Visitor permits can be purchased via ParkMobile or at the Self-Service Pay Station. 

  • Address: 371 Charles E. Young Dr E, Los Angeles, CA 90095 

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• Parking Structure 3 (North) | Map 

  • $16/day | 8-minute walk to the Law School building.  

  • Please park in designated guest parking areas. Visitor permits can be purchased at the Self-Service Pay Station within these areas. 

  • Address: 215 Charles E. Young Drive North, Los Angeles, CA 90095 

Conference reading materials will be posted as they become available.

The 2026 conference speaker lineup will be announced soon.

• When will I receive my MCLE certificate?
  • Certificates will be emailed a few weeks after we verify your attendance and code word submissions. Please ensure your email address is correct on the form.
     
• What if I forgot to scan the QR code during the conference and didn’t complete the MCLE attendance form?
  • A follow-up email will be sent to all in-person attendees after the event with a link to the MCLE Attendance Form.
     
• Where can I find the MCLE reading materials?
  • A combined PDF of all the reading materials can be downloaded here.

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UCLA School of Law is a State Bar of California approved MCLE provider.

 

Thank You to Our 2026 Promotional Partner

 

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Seth J. Steinberg, Principal, Digital Arts Law

Mr. Steinberg, principal of Digital Arts Law, is an accomplished commercial transaction and intellectual property attorney with a wide range of experience in several practice areas. His private practice provides strategic advice and counsel to both mature and emerging companies located domestically and abroad, including those with business interests in online and new media, content creation and distribution - such as interactive and filmed entertainment - ecommerce, virtual reality, music, technology and consumer products.

Prior to forming his private practice, Mr. Steinberg was general counsel and director (head) of business affairs for San Francisco based LucasArts, a Lucasfilm company. He was a member of LucasArts’ senior executive group and advised management on a wide range of business, corporate and legal issues for more than seven years.

At LucasArts, Mr. Steinberg oversaw all negotiation and documentation of the company’s worldwide strategic business arrangements and alliances in development, distribution, sales, manufacturing and marketing. He also managed the licensing of cutting-edge technology, content acquisition and aspects of LucasArts’ copyright, trademark and patent portfolios. He was also responsible for all litigation-related activities, including risk management, legal analysis and management of outside counsel on a worldwide basis.

Prior to joining LucasArts, Mr. Steinberg was legal counsel, business and legal affairs, for 989 Sports / 989 Studios, a division of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. At 989, he was responsible for business and legal functions in connection with the production, distribution, and marketing of the company’s interactive entertainment software titles, including sports games licensed by the four major professional sports leagues, their respective players associations, and the NCAA. In addition, Mr. Steinberg handled matters related to business development and licensing out the company’s intellectual property.

Prior to 989 Sports / 989 Studios, Mr. Steinberg was an associate at Reinis & Reinis, a business law firm in Los Angeles that focused on representation of companies in the apparel and fashion industries. While there, he handled a variety of transactional and litigation matters.

Mr. Steinberg is admitted to practice in California, Illinois and the District of Columbia and was previously selected by his peers as a Northern California “Super Lawyer” (by Law & Politics).

Rusty Weiss, Partner, Sidley Austin LLP

Rusty Weiss is a partner in the Century City office of Sidley Austin LLP and a member of Technology Transactions Practice and Sports, Media and Entertainment Group. Mr. Weiss specializes in transactional matters and counseling in the fields of media, entertainment, sports, music, technology and intellectual property with a particular focus on the convergence of entertainment and technology. Mr. Weiss represents video game, motion picture, television and streaming, mobile, Internet, sports, music, toy and multimedia companies in structuring, negotiating and drafting a broad range of agreements involving the financing, acquisition, development, production, marketing, promotion, distribution, publishing, sale and other exploitation of video games, motion pictures, television and Internet programming, podcasts, music and consumer products. Mr. Weiss also represents a wide array of technology companies in structuring, negotiating and drafting agreements involving the research, development, licensing, manufacturing, marketing, distribution, sale and other exploitation of technology. In addition to the transaction matters that he handles for clients, Mr. Weiss regularly counsels clients on intellectual property and commercial law matters, including, without limitation: artificial intelligence, advertising, fair use, right of publicity, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, piracy, contests, sweepstakes and gaming, digital rights management, and unfair competition.

Mr. Weiss has spoken on many panels concerning issues faced by the media, entertainment, technology and intellectual property industries and has been widely quoted in Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, CNET News, San Jose Mercury News and other publications.

Frequently recognized in various legal publications for his achievements, Rusty was named by Variety in its Legal Impact Report (2017–2018, 2020–2023) and also by Variety in its Dealmakers Impact Report (2019, 2021-2023). He is recommend by The Best Lawyers in America for Entertainment Law and Technology Law (2010–2022), Euromoney’s Expert Guides (2015–2021), and The Legal 500 US (2014, 2016–2017). In 2014, the Los Angeles Business Journal named Rusty one of their “Most Influential Lawyers in Digital Media and Ecommerce Law.”

Maria Abesa, Senior Counsel, Business & Legal Affairs, Square Enix

Maria Abesa supports development, marketing, and publishing functions and works with the Square Enix legal teams in Los Angeles, London, and Tokyo to ensure consistent compliance with applicable law. Additionally, she assists in the finance, investment and corporate governance matters of the Square Enix group of companies. Prior to working at Square Enix, Maria was an associate in the Mergers and Acquisitions group of Sidley Austin in Century City.

Maria is a triple Bruin, having obtained a BA in Political Science before proceeding to graduate from the UCLA School of Law with a JD and the Luskin School of Public Affairs with an MPP. Maria spends her spare time cycling the bike trails of Los Angeles, building mechanical keyboards, lamenting the state of the Denver Broncos, and (of course) playing video games.

Cooper Jackson, Senior Vice President, Business Affairs & Development, Electronic Arts

Cooper Jackson is Senior Vice President of Business Affairs and Development at Electronic Arts, which she joined in 2019. She leads the teams responsible for EA's long-term commercial and strategic partnerships. She is responsible for managing EA’s relationships with global platform partners for the distribution and marketing of games on console, PC and mobile devices, cloud streaming and subscription services. She also oversees negotiations of IP licenses integrating entertainment content and brands into EA's games, as well as film and TV production deals for EA’s IP. In addition, Cooper heads business development for technology licensing, music licensing and talent engagement, including union negotiations.

Prior to EA, Cooper was Senior Vice President at Twentieth Century Fox Film, where she managed worldwide Business Affairs for digital home media, leading negotiations of complex commercial deals and driving strategic initiatives to distribute film and TV content on digital streaming and transactional platforms. Before joining Fox, Cooper was Senior Vice President of Business Affairs for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, responsible for digital and traditional media licenses, content acquisitions and global distribution partnerships. Earlier in her career, Cooper was an antitrust and intellectual property litigator at major law firms in New York and Los Angeles and Vice President of Legal Affairs at Warner Bros.

Cooper is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and Williams College, where she was on the Board of Trustees. She has also served on the California Advisory Board of The Trust for Public Land and as an Executive Member of Women in Film. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, a screenwriter, and has three grown sons.

Nicolette Gelnak, Associate, Sidley Austin LLP

Nicolette Gelnak focuses her practice on complex corporate and transactional matters. She represents clients in mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, and general corporate matters.

Nicolette earned her J.D. from UCLA School of Law, where she specialized in Media, Entertainment, Technology & Sports Law and graduated as valedictorian. During law school, she served as an articles editor for the UCLA Journal of Gender and Law. She was also a student clinician in both the Documentary Film Legal Clinic and the Talent & Brand Partnerships/Name, Image & Likeness Clinic, and she completed a legal externship at Riot Games.

Britney Pirring, UCLA School of Law Student

Britney Pirring is a second-year law student and Achievement Fellow at UCLA School of Law, specializing in Media, Entertainment, Technology, and Sports Law. She serves as Co-Chair of the First Generation Law Students Association, a Staff Editor for the UCLA Law Review, and a Submissions Editor for the Entertainment Law Review.

She earned her bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley, double-majoring in Political Science and Media Studies, and graduated magna cum laude and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

During her 1L summer, Britney worked at Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole, a boutique entertainment firm representing top talent across film and television. There, she developed a strong understanding of Hollywood’s representation landscape through reviewing publicity releases, conducting Hollywood guild research, and analyzing intellectual property ownership and clearance issues.

She will join Kirkland & Ellis as a 2L Summer Associate in the Century City office’s corporate practice group and is also excited to extern at Riot Games this coming spring. As an avid gamer, Britney is passionate about the intersection of law, video games, and emerging technologies, with a particular interest in data privacy and compliance issues affecting video game companies. She looks forward to developing her legal expertise in the interactive entertainment space.