Copyright Society of the USA - Kickoff of Annual Meeting 2016 in Boston

I am on the Cross-Sound Ferry going from Orient Point, Long Island to New London CT on my way to Boston for the Annual Meeting of the Copyright Society of the USA to visit with copyright lawyers and copyright experts from around the country.

If you have an interest in copyright law, the Copyright Society is a great place to hear about cutting-edge issues in copyright practice.  The Copyright Office is usually very well represented and the Register of Copyrights usually speaks on issues facing the Copyright Office.  The Copyright Office is  part of the Library of Congress.  The Register plays a special role in advising on copyright policy and practices.

The Copyright Society has chapters around the country, but the New York Chapter has a tradition of being particularly strong and holds monthly lunches, usually at the Princeton Club, and usually on interesting topics and featuring speakers who are professionally involved in the matters they are discussing, or academics expert in the given topic.

If your firm is budgeting its bar association dollars and you have a strong interest in copyright law, the Copyright Society might be the place for you.

Hope to see you in Boston!

 www.dunnington.com
 Copyright law, fine art and navigating the courts. Attorney and Author
Copyright Litigation Handbook (Thomson Reuters Westlaw 2015-2016) by Raymond J. Dowd
 

Join Us At the Copyright Society Meeting Feb 14-16 in Austin TX

Click here for the registration form, and here for more information on the meeting!



www.dunnington.com
 Purchase Copyright Litigation Handbook 2011 by Raymond J. Dowd from West here  

Copyright Society of the USA's Brace Lecture Honors Judge Denny Chin

Judge Denny Chin - Photo Sue Kim Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Local hero Second Circuit Judge Denny Chin was honored last night by the Copyright Society of the USA at their annual Brace Lecture at Fordham Law School.   Judge Chin's presentation was enjoyable and laden with visuals.   He emphasized the message that most federal judges are generalists and do not hold policy prejudices about copyright, which makes the primary role of the advocates before the court as educators.

Judge Chin made limited comments about the Google Books case, and took the audience on a fascinating tour of his copyright cases, with a few detours into patent and trademark.

It was a great opportunity to meet and talk with Judge Chin and to see many friends who came in from around the world for this terrific annual lecture.

The Copyright Society has a new Twitter handle @thecsusa

 http://www.dunnington.com/rdowd_bio.html
 Purchase Copyright Litigation Handbook 2011 by Raymond J. Dowd from West here  

Journal of the Copyright Society of the USA

Not too long ago, I received my Fall 2007 issue of the Journal of the Copyright Society of the USA. This is a benefit of paying the Copyright Society's membership fee. The Journal issue contained a nicely printed copy of "Recent Developments in Copyright - Selected Annotated Cases" by Bob Clarida and Tom Kjellberg of Cowan Liebowitz & Latman. It reminded me of Bob and Tom's presentation at each Annual Meeting of the Copyright Society of the USA. In a lively style, using pictures and music, they go over important, interesting or outrageous copyright cases of the preceding year. It is a good way to keep up on developments in a rapidly-changing field, and they really make an effort to obtain the materials that the judges were looking at or listening to so that you can understand what was decided.

The meeting is held each June and has traditionally been situated at the Sagamore Hotel on Lake George in upstate New York. This year, for the first time, the meeting will take place June 8-10 in Newport, Rhode Island. Annual meetings kick off with a special cocktail reception for new attendees, and the organization's officers make a real effort to make newcomers feel at home. The programming is diverse and entertaining, and speakers are really top-shelf.

Marybeth Peters, the Register of Copyrights, always attends, along with the top people from her office, and all major content industries are well-represented.

The field of copyright is full of oddball specialties. Attendees come from all over the US, with some foreign participation (unlike the trademark world, the foreign contingent is not particularly large). Copyright lawyers tend to have backgrounds in music, art, film, literature - and thus this gathering is usually more entertaining than most legal conferences.

The Copyright Society also has chapters. Last year I gave presentations to the San Francisco and Philadelphia Chapters. The New York Chapter has monthly luncheons (1 hour CLE credit) that are usually sold out.

If you need a painless way to pick up CLE credits this year, think about the Copright Society. I won't make it to the mid-winter meeting in Dana Point, California (Feb 7-9), but I will be in Newport in June.