Join the Forensic Musicology Seminar for a conversation with special guest Richard Busch, the head of the Entertainment and Intellectual Property Section of King & Ballow, and the lawyer who secured a victory in the “Blurred Lines” copyright infringement case. Moderated by professor Judith Finell, musicologist and president of Judith Finell MusicServices Inc., professor Don Franzen, attorney, the conversation will cover the following areas:
- An examination of the “Blurred Lines” case, including the very important issues involved with the 9th Circuit decision affirming the district court’s judgment.
- A discussion of the other significant copyright infringement cases Busch has successfully litigated, and others, all of which established the law in this field and set the stage for the Blurred Lines judgment.
- Busch’s successful breach-of-contract lawsuit on behalf of fitness star Jillian Michaels, whose workout videos were distributed on YouTube, causing her DVD sales to plummet. He will discuss the language in Michaels’ contract that enabled him to win the case and prove damages, as well as provide examples of language attorneys should avoid when drafting contracts to reduce the risk of losing similar lawsuits.
- A look inside his recently filed lawsuits against Spotify on behalf of multiple music publishers and songwriters. Busch will discuss the reasoning behind the lawsuits, the potential damages involved, and the important legal issues involved.
- His view on pending copyright infringement cases, and the important issues that will be litigated in future copyright infringement lawsuits.
Richard Busch, the head of the Entertainment and Intellectual Property Section of King & Ballow, and the lawyer who secured a victory in the “Blurred Lines” copyright infringement case, has litigated some of the most significant entertainment cases in the industry, including the landmark 9th Circuit decision holding that the agreements between record labels and iTunes are licenses, and that Eminem’s recording agreement entitled him to 50 percent of the label’s net receipts on permanent download income. Busch also obtained a recent multimillion-dollar victory against Lionsgate on behalf of Jillian Michaels related to the posting of Ms. Michaels’ fitness videos on YouTube, and numerous copyright infringement victories that set the still-applicable precedent in this area of law. Most recently, Busch filed numerous lawsuits against Spotify relating to the alleged nonpayment and underpayment of royalties to publishers and songwriters.
Reception immediately follows in the Green Room (1230) in Schoenberg Music Building.
This program is presented by Forensic Musicology Seminar professors Don Franzen, Esq. and Judith Finell, musicologist.