Partner William Charron Interviewed by Law360 About Recent Developments in Entertainment, Media and Communications Law
Pryor Cashman Litigation Partner, William L. Charron, was called upon by Law360 to discuss recent developments in his practice and the areas of entertainment, media and communications law.
When asked about an important case or issue relevant to his practice Mr. Charron cited a concern surrounding the extent to which artists may have the right under the 1976 Copyright Act to terminate certain copyright transfers made after Jan. 1, 1978, and thus to claim a “reversion” of copyright ownership, after a period of 35 years. Furthermore, he told the publication “the music industry, in particular, will be affected by this question. Litigation of the issue is likely, in large part, to revolve around the “work for hire” doctrine, as works made for hire are expressly exempted from the Copyright Act’s reversionary clause. In that regard, a recent decision from the Southern District of New York, Marvel Worldwide Inc. v. Kirby, No. 10 Civ. 141 (CM) (KNF) (S.D.N.Y. July 28, 2011), analyzing a related reversionary clause for pre-1978 works governed by the 1909 Copyright Act (which provides for copyright ownership reversion after 56 years), is important initial reading."
Mr. Charron is a general commercial litigator who is also engaged in a wide variety of intellectual property disputes, including representing plaintiffs and defendants in Copyright and Lanham Act cases, right of publicity cases, defamation and First Amendment defense, and cases involving claims of art theft.
To read the entire article, please click here.
To read Mr. Charron’s full biography, please go to the sidebar and click on “Attorneys.”
