We are happy to join forces with the LA Kings and other law schools (Loyola, USC, Southwestern, Pepperdine) for a special Sports and Entertainment Law Panel followed by networking and a hockey game! This event is open to all UCLA community members, including students, faculty, staff, family and friends!
EVENT DETAILS
Date: Friday, February 7, 2025
Panel Time: 6:00PM (Check-In Starts at 5:30PM) | Game Time: 7:30PM | Check-In Location: Star Plaza VIP Entrance at Crypto.com Arena (1111 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90015)
Recommended Parking Lot: Lot W $35.00 (1005 Chick Hearn Court, Los Angeles, CA 90015)
PROGRAM DETAILS
5:30PM - Bag Check & Check-In: Only bags smaller than 5” x 9” x 1” are permitted
6:00PM - Panel: We will kick off with a discussion and Q&A session featuring the following industry leaders
- Carly Weiss, Senior Legal Counsel at AEG
- Kate Sheets, SVP Strategy and Business Affairs at AEG&
- Tara Hicks, Monetization Counsel at TikTok
7:30PM - Hockey Night: Stay after the panel for an evening of cross-town networking and a hockey game as the LA Kings face off against the Dallas Stars.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets start at a discounted $46 including access to the panel, networking, and the hockey game. If you would like to purchase higher-priced tickets, different seating options are available.
Purchase Tickets Here: https://fevo-enterprise.com/event/LAK2024-25-UCLA-LAW
Questions? Email: sfeinstein@lakings.com
The trial of Herrick Productions LLC v. Mattel, Inc. took place over 2.5 months in the summer of 2024. The plaintiff accused Mattel of stealing his idea for a toy invention reality show. Even though Mattel's show (which aired on ABC) lost millions of dollars and was a failure, the plaintiff claimed he had an implied contract with Mattel that they would not make his show, or any similar show, without his involvement, and that if Mattel had made his show with him, (a) he would have “placed" the show on basic cable and (b) it would have been a massive success lasting 8 seasons. The jury returned a complete defense verdict for Mattel, and the judge recently denied Herrick's request for a new trial.
- Date: Wed. January 29, 2025
- Time: 12:15 - 1:30PM
- Location: Law Room 1347
REGISTER HERE: https://forms.gle/BGEw5zNUvvgqLV478
Chad Fitzgerald
Partner, Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir LLP
Practice Areas
- Entertainment Litigation
- Business Litigation
- Entertainment IP Litigation
- Intellectual Property Litigation
Chad Fitzgerald specializes in complex entertainment industry disputes as well as business and intellectual property litigation. He represents actors, directors, producers, writers, showrunners, musicians, professional athletes, production and distribution companies, clients in the fitness, apparel, toy, and gaming industries, the entertainment guilds, talent and business managers, and the major talent agencies. Chad specializes in entertainment industry disputes regarding profit participation, “vertical integration,” and distribution (including streaming), and handles litigation involving copyright, trademark and trade secrets, fraud, rights of privacy, and defamation. Chad has written numerous articles on legal issues in the entertainment industry, regularly appears on panels and seminars discussing entertainment litigation, is frequently quoted in media outlets such as The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Deadline, The Wrap, E! Online, and the Daily Journal, and has taught entertainment law classes at the UCLA School of Law.
Chad has been twice named a “Power Lawyer” by The Hollywood Reporter, a member of the “Legal Impact Report” and one of “Hollywood’s New Leaders” by Variety, a “Super Lawyer,” a “Leader of Influence” by the Los Angeles Business Journal, and one of the “Best Lawyers in America.” He sits on the Advisory Board for the UCLA School of Law’s Ziffren Institute for Media, Entertainment, Technology and Sports Law and lectures on entertainment law at UCLA Law School.
Chad graduated with honors from Yale University with a B.A. in English and from the UCLA School of Law. While in law school, he externed for the Honorable J. Spencer Letts of the United District Court, Central District of California, and volunteered with the HIV/AIDS Legal Services Alliance. Prior to joining KHIKS in 2007, he worked in the Business and Legal Affairs department of Universal Pictures and a major entertainment law firm. Chad was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, where his family has worked for generations in the gaming industry.
The Ziffren Institute invites students, faculty, alumni, and community members to an evening of engaging dialogue on Copyright and First Amendment Law. The event will feature a keynote lecture by Professor Jane Ginsburg of Columbia Law School, exploring the Role of Authorship in the Copyright Scheme.
This distinguished lecture series, established in 1986, honors Melville B. Nimmer—a beloved UCLA Law professor and pioneer in these fields. Supported by his family and colleagues, including his son David Nimmer, it continues to inspire meaningful conversations by showcasing leading scholars and practitioners shaping these vital areas of law.
For more information, please visit our website: https://law.ucla.edu/nimmer_lecture
- Date: Thursday, February 13, 2025
- Time: 6:00-7:00 PM (reception to follow in Shapiro Courtyard)
- Location: Room 1430, UCLA School of Law
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Livestream: https://uclalaw.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=ac985f21-685f-43f2-ac02-b27b002621e6
REGISTER HERE: https://forms.gle/yT16qGtn9G67Q9Ej6
The lecture will take place in person at UCLA School of Law and will also be livestreamed for remote participants. After the lecture, attendees are invited to a lively reception in Shapiro Courtyard to continue the conversation and network. Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) credits will be available.
When the winners of the 45th News and Documentary Emmy Awards were announced on September 26, the filmmakers behind one triumphant production were quick to credit a number of UCLA School of Law students and faculty members who helped make it all happen.
Alexandra Kolsky ’22 is now an associate at Venable, and she also worked on Free Chol Soo Lee as a student in the clinic. “It was one of the highlights of my time at UCLA Law,” she says. “The clinic not only gave me a strong foundational education in media and intellectual property law but also taught me how to use that education to help real clients solve real problems. I often reflect on the invaluable lessons I learned from my teammates and my wonderful professors in the clinic as a practicing IP attorney now.”
This year, clinic participants had special reason to keep tabs on the Emmy proceedings because, aside from Free Chol Soo Lee, two other films on which they had worked were nominated. Love in the Time of Fentanyl, about people who took an innovative approach to managing overdoses in Vancouver, Canada, had also played on Independent Lens on PBS. It was nominated in the Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary category. And Anonymous Sister achieved many accolades for its personal portrayal of the opioid crisis even before it was named as an Outstanding Social Issue Documentary nominee.
While neither of those movies won, the filmmakers who worked on them were very satisfied with the attention that the nominations afforded them – and with the work of the clinic students who helped bring the projects to fruition.
“It’s extremely gratifying to provide our students with the opportunity to work directly with these creative and inspiring filmmakers,” Cohen says. “Over the course of one or two semesters, we get to watch the clinicians grow from bright and aspiring lawyers into confident practitioners who are making a real difference.”
Stream Free Chol Soo Lee for free through Nov. 14.
- Jonathan Anschell, Chief Legal Officer, Lecturer in Law at UCLA (teaches Law 481: Harmonizing Hollywood: Entertainment Disputes, Ethics and Peacemaking)
- Alexa Camara, UCLA Law Class of 2014
- Kelsey Harrison, UCLA Class of 2019
- Joyce Tseng, UCLA Law Class of 2019
- Alan Wang, UCLA Law Class of 1998
SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION HERE
Please submit your application by 11:59 PM on Friday, October 11th. Due to limited space, the Ziffren Institute will randomly select 30 students. Applicants will be notified of their admission status by email on Monday, October 14th.
Conference Program
All sessions will take place in Room 1347 in the UCLA School of Law building.
8:00am - 9:00am (PDT)
Registration / Light Refreshments
9:00am - 9:15am (PDT)
Introductory Remarks
9:15am - 10:30am (PDT)
GC Roundtable - (1.25h General CLE)
The best GCs are those who are conversant on cutting edge legal and business issues. The panelists on the GC Roundtable will discuss the cutting edge legal and business issues that they or their respective GCs believe must be considered by digital media and video game companies.
Moderator:
Rusty Weiss, Partner, Sidley Austin LLPPanelists:
Matthew Breitman, Senior Vice President - General Counsel Americas and Corporate Secretary, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.
Eric Grouse, Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Sony Interactive Entertainment
Adam Sullivan, General Counsel, Square Enix
10:30am - 10:45am (PDT)
Networking Break
10:45am - 11:45am (PDT)
Ethics of Responsible Gaming - (1h Ethics CLE)
Ethics of Responsible Gaming - The video game industry is uniquely positioned at the intersection of rapidly evolving technology and regulations that are trying to keep up, resulting in gray areas through which lawyers have to guide their clients. This panel interrogates the role of attorneys, their professional obligations, and their ethical duties as they navigate this ambiguity.
Moderator:
Maria Abesa, Senior Counsel, Business & Legal Affairs, Square EnixPanelists:
Andrew Bardi, Associate General Counsel, Reality Labs, Meta
Stacy Feuer, Senior Vice President, ESRB Privacy Certified
Felix Hilgert, Partner, Osborne Clarke
Zachary Lewis, Associate, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein + Selz
11:45am - 1:00pm (PDT)
Lunch (starts at 11:45)
Lunch Presentation – Digital Media and Video Games: The Competition Hollywood Has for Consumer Attention (12:15 to 12:45 PM) - (0.5h General CLE)
The entertainment industry may have enough to worry about in 2024 as its core film and TV businesses feel the pressure of adapting to a streaming-driven marketplace. But the truth is the challenges Hollywood face now holding onto its audiences extends far beyond the production of premium long-form video. Intended as a companion of sorts to the "After the Streaming Wars" presentation given in June at UCLA's 48th Annual Entertainment Symposium this presentation takes a look at the competitive landscape for consumer attention, including video games, the creator economy, social video, immersive entertainment, and of course, AI. Enough talk about binge watching and themed popcorn buckets; let's talk about Roblox, Apple Vision Pro, the Sphere in Las Vegas and other innovations.
Presenter:
Andrew Wallenstein, Chief Media Analyst and President, Variety Intelligence Platform (VIP+)
1:00pm - 2:00pm (PDT)
Annual Litigation Update: Part 1 - (1h General CLE)
The first part of our annual litigation update will examine some of the top cases and disputes from the prior year or so affecting the digital media and video game space – including, among others, those involving rights of publicity, rights of privacy, first amendment, trademarks and copyright.
Moderator:
Doug Lichtman, Professor, UCLA School of LawPanelists:
William Sloan Coats, Sole Practitioner, Law Office of William Sloan Coats
Marc Mayer, Partner, Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP
2:00pm - 2:30pm (PDT)
Annual Litigation Update: Part 2 - (0.5h General CLE)
The second part of our annual litigation update will summarize the cases involving Epic Games v. Apple and v. Google, including a recently filed new complaint, and include discussion of what is presently allowed in the app stores in terms of in-app purchases and side payments.
Presenter:
Jennifer Dixton, Assistant Chief, Special Counsel for Policy & Intellectual Property, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice, Lecturer in Law, UCLA School of Law
2:30pm - 2:45pm (PDT)
Networking Break
2:45pm - 3:55pm (PDT)
Show Me the Money! The Impact of NIL and Private Equity on Sports, Video Games & Digital Media - (1h General CLE)
Reference to “NIL” is in the news on a near daily basis. This panel will discuss why NIL seems to be everywhere, NIL’s emergence and intersection with rights of publicity, and how the associated money is impacting digital media, video games & sports, including the sports-media landscape. This includes a look at how such ties in with the recent surge in popularity of women’s sports, the return of EA Sports’s NCAA Football video game, and the potential for more money – an increase in private equity investment in sports and what that means.
Moderator:
Seth J. Steinberg, Principal, Digital Arts LawPanelists:
Andrew Eiger, Vice President of Legal and Business Affairs, Overtime
Sara Gotfredson, Founder, Trailblazing Sports Group (formerly VP, ESPN/Disney)
Gary Rosenfeld, Head of Business Development, Big Fish Games
Mark Tratos, Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig
4:00pm - 5:10pm (PDT)
Cross-Media IP Exploitation in Entertainment and Gaming - (1h General CLE)
This panel will discuss how entertainment and video game companies are expanding and licensing their IP to create cross-media entertainment products that span games, film, TV, books, podcasts, live events, merchandising and digital media to reach new fans and engage audiences. Successful franchise expansion is dependent on the rights and licensing of IP, which our panelists will address from a legal and business perspective across different types of entertainment and media. Our discussion will also include key trends and legal challenges in cross-media linear adaptations using video game IP as source material, as well as the use of TV/film storytelling IP in games and other media.
Moderator:
Cooper Jackson, Senior Vice President, Business Affairs & Development, Electronic ArtsPanelists:
Pam Reynolds, Director & Associate General Counsel of Legal Affairs, Amazon MGM Studios
Ned Sherman, Chief Business Affairs & Legal Officer, Skybound Entertainment
Jenifer Wallis, Chair of Entertainment Practice, Munck Wilson, Mandala, LLP
Rusty Weiss, Partner, Sidley Austin LLP
5:00pm - 5:15pm (PDT)
Closing Remarks
5:15pm - 6:30pm (PDT)
Reception
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 6.25 credits (5.25 hours of general credit and 1 hour of legal ethics credit). CLE Readings
Location and Details
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CHECK IN & BADGE PICK UP
Badges are required for entry and will be available for pick up at the check in tables near the entrance of Room 1347, located on the first floor of the UCLA School of Law building. Check in will begin at 8:00 AM, and the event will start promptly at 9:00 AM. Refreshments and drinks will be provided during this time.
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PARKING
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
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
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EVENT LOCATION
This year's conference will be held at UCLA School of Law, Room 1347, on the first floor.
- UCLA School of Law Address: 385 Charles E Young Dr E, Los Angeles, CA 90095.
Minimum Continuing Legal Education
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Online MCLE Form
For California MCLE credit, please complete our online Attendance Form during the event. QR codes linking to the form will be displayed throughout the venue and on the back of your event badge. You can fill it out anytime, and certificates will be emailed to you within a few weeks.
If you do not fill out the Attendance Form during the event, a follow-up email containing the link will be sent to all attendees.
This event is approved for 6 hours and 15 minutes of MCLE credit.
Questions? Email: mcle@law.ucla.edu
Planning Committee
Contact Us
Presented by The
Ziffren Institute for Media, Entertainment, Technology & Sports Law and Institute for Technology, Law & Policy in association with the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Forum on Sports and Entertainment Industries, this year’s conference again features leading practitioners and executives who will discuss some of the most pressing issues impacting the digital media and video game spaces.
In addition to robust discussion of a variety of topics that will engage and educate, this one-day conference also includes opportunities to meet, network and re-connect with colleagues and friends. The conference is held in an intimate setting with limited availability and includes a hosted lunch and evening reception.
For more information please visit our website! https://law.ucla.edu/academics/centers/ziffren-institute-media-entertainment-technology-and-sports-law/digital-media-video-game-conference
Please save the date! On Wed 10/16 at 12:10PM, our ELA (Entertainment Law Association) and SLA (Sports Law Association) student groups will be hosting an LA28 panel.
Professor Steven Bank will be moderating a panel discussion featuring:
- Jessica Borowick (Senior Counsel at NBC Sports)
- Katy Freeman (Sports Lawyer [Law Offices of Howard L. Jacobs] who was also on USA Swimming’s National Team)
- Kevin Massoudi (Managing Counsel for LA 28 Olympics)
- Aaron Lowenstein (Associate General Counsel for LA28, and UCLAW alum!)
The event will unite a diverse group of lawyers involved in preparing for the LA28 Olympics and Paralympics. Students will get a chance to meet and hear from legal professionals from various sectors, including those specializing in broadcasting, athlete representation, and LA28's legal team. After the panel discussion, students will have the chance to engage with our experts and ask questions.
Lunch will be served.
RSVP here by October 2: https://forms.gle/HnUDYthVnDhLCDqL9
The Ziffren Institute invites all students to our Welcome Lunch Event! Discover our courses, programs, and resources while connecting with faculty and classmates. Lunch will be provided for those who register.
Date: Wed. September 11, 2024Time: 12:15-1:30pm Location: Law Room 1357
View Our Website for More Information: https://law.ucla.edu/academics/centers/ziffren-institute-media-entertainment-technology-and-sports-law
The Williams Institute's 2024 NYC Fall Salon will take place on Thursday, September 12 from 6:00-8:30 PM at the Meta office in Hudson Yards.
We invite you to join our discussion on the current state of LGBTQ+ law and policy and what’s at stake in the upcoming November election and beyond.For tickets to our 2024 NYC Fall Salon, please visit: https://bit.ly/NYCFallSalon24RSVP ends on September 4, 2024.
For more information, please contact Williamsdev@law.ucla.edu.