Who owns the copyright in this movie? That song? A book upon which a movie is based? In today’s entertainment marketplace, content is king, and the answers to these questions may have million-dollar implications. On February 26, two lawyers from O’Melveny & Myers’ Century City office gave students an introduction on how to trace copyright ownership across transactions, or what those in the entertainment industry refer to as the “chain of title.”

Documentary Film Legal Clinic students Graham Fenton ’20, Keegan Hawkins ’21 and Michelle Banayan ’21
L to R: Documentary Film Legal Clinic students Graham Fenton ’20, Keegan Hawkins ’21 and Michelle Banayan ’21 take the stage at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

Three students in UCLA School of Law’s Documentary Film Legal Clinic won a round of applause from movie industry insiders in a packed theater at the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 27, where they attended the premiere of The Cost of Silence, a documentary about the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Entertainment Law Initiative chair Kenneth Abdo congratulates UCLA Law student Christopher Chiang ’20
Entertainment Law Initiative chair Kenneth Abdo (left) congratulates UCLA Law student Christopher Chiang ’20 on his winning essay.

UCLA School of Law students Christopher Chiang ’20 and Graham Fenton ’20 won the top two prizes in the Recording Academy’s 22nd Annual Entertainment Law Initiative Writing Competition on Jan. 24 and were honored at a number of red-carpet events during Grammy Awards week.

Allen Secretov, Daniel Gibbons, Ashley Berk, Jonathan Sauer and Gabriella Nourafchan
From left: Allen Secretov, Daniel Gibbons, Ashley Berk, Jonathan Sauer and Gabriella Nourafchan.

For the third consecutive year, the Ziffren Institute on Media, Entertainment, Technology and Sports Law presented 5 Years Out, an event aimed at providing current law students a candid look at the day-to-day work lives of UCLA Law alums now five years into their professional careers. On Feb.

Tower of building on the UCLA Law campus

Alumni and friends raised $181.2 million for UCLA School of Law during the Centennial Campaign for UCLA, far exceeding the school's goal during the campus-wide fundraising drive that was designed to prepare the university for its second century of excellence.

Marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of UCLA, the Centennial Campaign raised $5.49 billion.

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