January 4, 2016

Oscar-winning Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin Among All-Star Panelists to Speak at Annual Entertainment and Media Law Conference presented by Southwestern and the Media Law Resource Center

In the digital age, the ability to reveal private data that could destroy reputations and companies is more sophisticated—and scary— than it has ever been before. Certainly, last year’s massive data hack at Sony exposed just how vulnerable corporations and individuals are to such breaches. The First Amendment gives the press the right to publish private information that may be of public importance, but what about instances where the information is obtained illegally?

These issues, as well as the future of traditional theaters in the digital age, will be the focus of One Year After the Sony Hacks: Reverberations in the Industry and the Law, the 13th Annual Entertainment and Media Law Conference presented by Southwestern Law School’s Donald E. Biederman Entertainment and Media Law Institute and the Media Law Resource Center (MLRC). The conference will be held on Thursday, January 14, 2016, at the Los Angeles Times Building.

George Freeman, Executive Director of the Media Law Resource Center, said: “I am particularly excited about the program where an all-star panel, including Aaron Sorkin, will debate the legality and ethics of the media’s publishing hacked material – from studio salaries, scripts and slanderous gossip to nude photos of celebrities. And a program on the steps companies can take to avoid being hacked – and what to do if disaster happens from legal and PR points-of-view – will be timely, enlightening, and entertaining.” 

Professor Steven Krone, Director of the Biederman Institute, said, “The Biederman Institute and Southwestern Law School are delighted to be continuing our long partnership with the MLRC, and we’ve put together another program that promises to be topical and useful for lawyers and anyone interested in the entertainment and media industries.” 

Three discussion panels will be presented:

• “The Future of Theaters—The Role of Traditional Distribution in the Digital Era”
•  “On the Digital Battlements—Dealing with Hackers, Enemy States and the U.S. Government”
• “From Your Hard Drive to the Front Page—Leaked Information, Journalism, and the First Amendment” 

In addition to Academy Award-winning screenwriter, producer and playwright Aaron Sorkin, scheduled speakers will include prominent entertainment attorneys, legal scholars and industry insiders including: Alisa Bergman, Senior Vice President and Chief Privacy Officer, Warner Bros. Entertainment; Mary Ellen Callahan, former Chief Privacy Officer, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and current Cahir of Privacy and Information Governance Practice, Jenner & Block LLP; Howard Cohen, Co-President, Roadside Attractions; John Fithian, President & CEO, National Association of Theatre Owners; George Freeman, Executive Director of the MLRC; B. James Gladstone, Executive Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs, Lionsgate Entertainment; Mark Haddad, Partner, Sidley Austin LLP; Blaine Kimrey, former journalist and current shareholder, Vedder Price; Douglas Kmiec, Professor of Law, Pepperdine Law School; Professor Steven Krone, Director, Donald E Biederman Entertainment and Media Law Institute at Southwestern; Christin S. McMeley, Chair of the privacy and Security Practice, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP; Andrew J. Thomas, Partner, Jenner & Block LLP; and Eugene Volokh, Professor of Law, UCLA School of Law. 

The event, offering four hours of CLE credit, is scheduled from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., followed by a reception. Event co-sponsors include: AXIS PRO Insurance; Davis Wright Tremaine LLP; Doyle & McKean LLP; Fox Networks Group & Fox Group Legal; Fox Rothschild LLP; Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, PC; Hiscox Media; Jassy Vick Carolan LLP; Jenner & Block LLP; Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP; Kelley Drye &Warren LLP; Leopold Petrich & Smith PC; Levine Sullivan Koch & Schulz LLP; QBE Insurance Corporation; and Sidley Austin LLP.

The conference will be held at the Los Angeles Times Building, Globe Lobby, at 202 W. 1st Street in Los Angeles. There is a parking structure located at 213 S. Spring Street.