Panel 1: Federal and State Legislative Efforts to Regulate AI in Music
Moderator: Christopher Sprigman, Murray and Kathleen Bring Professor of Law at NYU Law
- https://its.law.nyu.edu/facultyprofiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=profile.publications&personid=37891
- Christopher Jon Sprigman teaches intellectual property law, antitrust law, torts, and comparative constitutional law at NYU. His research focuses on how legal rules affect innovation and the deployment of new technologies. He is the co-author of a free copyright textbook, Copyright Law: Cases and Materials (2023, with Jeanne Fromer), a free antitrust casebook, Antitrust: Principles, Cases, and Materials (2023, with Daniel Francis), and The Knockoff Economy: How Imitation Sparks Innovation (2012, with Kal Raustiala). He has also authored and co-authored numerous articles in law reviews and other scholarly publications.
Sprigman’s widely cited works have had an influence on important aspects of copyright and trademark law, and often belie the conventional wisdom about intellectual property rights. He was an appellate counsel from 1999 to 2001 in the Antitrust Division of the US Department of Justice, where US v. Microsoft was among his cases, and later was elected partner in the Washington, D.C., office of King & Spalding before becoming a residential fellow at Stanford Law School’s Center for Internet and Society.
Sprigman received his BA in history magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania in 1988, and a JD with honors from the University of Chicago Law School in 1993. He subsequently clerked for Judge Stephen Reinhardt of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and Justice Lourens H. W. Ackermann of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. In 2015, the American Law Institute named him Reporter for the Restatement of Copyright.
Gebre Waddell, Chief Executive Officer & Co-founder, Sound Credit
- Gebre Waddell is an American entrepreneur based in Memphis, TN, best known as CEO of Sound Credit, author of “Complete Audio Mastering: Practical Techniques” published by McGraw-Hill, and for mastering work with musical artists including Ministry, Lil’ Wayne, and George Clinton. In 2020, Waddell was voted onto the national Board of Trustees of the GRAMMYs / Recording Academy, and was appointed by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee to the Tennessee Entertainment Commission. In 2019, he was featured on 60 Minutes in national news coverage about entrepreneurship in the interior of the US. Waddell won the Rise of the Rest entrepreneurship tour event in 2018, held by The Revolution Fund, with LPs including Jeff Bezos, Michael Bloomberg and Meg Whitman. In 2016 he became founder and CEO of Soundways, an audio technology corporation based in Memphis, TN which later added the DBA, Sound Credit. “Complete Audio Mastering: Practical Techniques” was Published by Mc-Graw-Hill in 2013, making Waddell one of the youngest McGraw-Hill authors on engineering. Waddell’s journey in entrepreneurship started in 2003 with the establishment of a mastering studio, Stonebridge Mastering, located in downtown Memphis, TN.
Jessica Richard, Senior Vice President, Federal Public Policy, Recording Industry Association of America
- Jessica Richard serves as Senior Vice President of Federal Public Policy at the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), where she advises on a wide range of issues affecting the music industry. Recently, her work has largely centered on the impact of AI on the industry, advocating for lawful, responsible technology development and use. Prior to joining RIAA, Jessica practiced law for nearly eight years at Williams & Connolly, LLP, specializing in commercial litigation and intellectual property. She is also a member of the board of the Copyright Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to advocating for policies that promote and preserve the value of copyright and protecting the rights of creators and innovators.
Jessica received her B.A. from Dartmouth College and her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.
Joseph Fishman, Professor of Law, Vanderbilt University
- Joseph Fishman is a Professor of Law and the Robert S. and Theresa L. Reder Faculty Fellow at Vanderbilt Law School and a Professor at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music.
Professor Fishman’s research focuses on intellectual property, particularly as it affects the music industry. His work has appeared in leading academic journals, including the Harvard Law Review, NYU Law Review, and the California Law Review, and he is a regular commentator in major media outlets such as The New York Times, NPR, USA Today, and Billboard.
Professor Fishman joined Vanderbilt’s law faculty in fall 2015 after serving as Climenko Fellow and Lecturer in Law at Harvard Law School. He earned his A.B. magna cum laude from Harvard College with a joint major in music and religion, his M. Phil. in musicology from the University of Cambridge, and his J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School. After law school, he was a law clerk for Judge Jeffrey R. Howard of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and for Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. He practiced as an associate at Jenner & Block in the firm’s content, media, and entertainment group, where he specialized in litigation involving the music industry, before entering the legal academy.
Panel 2: Extra-Legal Perspectives on AI-Generated Music
Moderator: Nicholas Saady, Attorney at Pryor Cashman
- https://www.pryorcashman.com/nicholas-saady
- Nick Saady, an attorney at Pryor Cashman LLP, has extensive expertise in entertainment, intellectual property, sports, and complex commercial matters. Uniquely, his experience canvasses both high-stakes litigation and major commercial transactions.
Nick is a trusted legal advisor to internationally acclaimed artists, creators, athletes, record labels, and sports leagues. He has worked with industry leaders such as Universal Music Group, Major League Cricket, and Anyma on various legal issues. His work also includes groundbreaking cases, such as the successful defense of Kevin McCoy in the first-ever NFT dispute and an impeachment investigation into a prominent politician.
Committed to supporting artists and athletes, Nick provides pro bono counsel through organizations like Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts and the NIL Pro Bono Project, and sits on the board of various nonprofits.
Nick holds an LL.M. from NYU School of Law, where he received the prestigious George Colin Award and studied on two merit scholarships. He also holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Technology Sydney, where he graduated 1st in his class. Nick has been recognized as a rising star by Lawdragon, Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers, and has presented on some of the biggest global stages, most recently SXSW Sydney 2024.
Clara Kim, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal & Business Affairs Officer at ASCAP
- Clara Kim is EVP & Chief Legal and Business Affairs Officer of ASCAP, one of the largest performance rights organizations in the world, representing more than one million songwriters, composers and publishers and more than 20 million copyrighted musical works. On behalf of ASCAP members, Clara is a key driver of groundbreaking licensing deals with major streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music and TV+, Amazon Music Unlimited, Prime Video and Prime Music, Disney+, Hulu and Peacock, as well as major media groups such as NBC Universal, Disney/ABC, the TVMLC (Television Music Licensing Committee) and RMLC (Radio Music Licensing Committee). Clara has oversight of the Business and Legal Affairs team in protecting ASCAP’s legal and business interests globally and is responsible for ASCAP’s compliance with the Consent Decree entered into with the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as antitrust laws generally. She is instrumental in negotiations for ASCAP with music and industry stakeholders and is a leader in its initiatives to navigate the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the music industry, including shaping policy with Capitol Hill lawmakers to ensure that ASCAP members and their rights are protected.
Clara has been named one of Billboard’s Top Music Lawyers for eight consecutive years since 2016 and has been among the top entertainment lawyers featured in Variety’s Legal Impact Report since 2018. In 2024, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts honored her with the “Legal Champion of the Arts” award. In 2023, she was named one of the top 25 LGBTQ+ movers and shakers in the music industry and received a “Distinguished Career” award from NYU’s Law Alumni of Color Association. In 2021, she was recognized by Variety as one of 10 AAPI executives making an impact in the music industry.
Prior to ASCAP, Clara held senior legal and business affairs roles at the global entertainment companies: Viacom International Inc. (now known as Paramount Global); Discovery Communications Inc.; and National Geographic Channels (a joint venture between Twentieth Century Fox and the National Geographic Society). She also practiced corporate law at Shearman & Sterling. Clara received her J.D. from New York University School of Law.
Bubele Booi, Record Producer and Songwriter
- Bubele Booi is a Grammy Award-nominated music producer and songwriter from South Africa. He has produced numerous Gold and Platinum records, and his projects have also won or been nominated for several South African Music Awards (SAMAs), the South African equivalent of the Grammy Award, granted annually by the Recording Industry of South Africa. He is best known for his work on Beyoncé’s “FIND YOUR WAY BACK,” which featured on the Grammy-nominated album The Lion King: The Gift. Bubele has also collaborated with many other artists from around the world, including Grammy Award-winner Manana, BET Award-nominee Takay Maidza, viral sensation Will Linley, and many South African Music Award winners and nominees, including Lady Zamar, Ami Faku, Craig Lucas, Shekhinah, among others. Bubele is a graduate of the University of Cape Town, where he studied Music Technology, and also has a Master’s degree in the same subject from NYU’s Steinhardt School.
Kate Lonczak, Agent, Digital Strategy, William Morris Endeavor
- Kate Lonczak is an agent in the Digital Strategy department at WME, focusing on emerging areas of the creator business. Kate has been instrumental in developing new business models and practical use cases across all areas of emerging tech, such as blockchain/web3 and AI, in addition to supporting WME’s Digital group across video games and the creator economy. Kate works closely with a diverse array of clients across WME’s extensive roster, spanning athletes, filmmakers, actors, music artists, comedians, Endeavor properties/events, and beyond. She guides talent and implements tailored digital strategies to drive organic growth and evolve current ventures. Kate also represents creators who are endemic to immersive tech, like video game developers, visual artists, experiential design studios, and more. In her role, she is expanding WME’s leadership position in technology and has taken a leadership role in developing the next generation of women at the intersection of entertainment and technology.
Panel 3: Property Rights of AI-Generated Works
Moderator: David Strickler, United States Copyright Royalty Judge
- https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/people/david-strickler
- David Strickler is a lawyer and economist, and since May 2013, a United States Copyright Royalty Judge. In this position, he – together with two other judges – presides over trials involving the setting of royalty rates in the music business and the distribution of cable television royalty revenue to copyright owners.
Judge Strickler received his MA in economics from Columbia University in New York City in 1977, where he was a University Fellow. He earned his undergraduate degree, also in economics, in 1976, from NYU, where he was a Regents Scholar (and a member of the baseball team). Judge Strickler received his JD (cum laude) from the University of Miami School of Law in 1980, where he was a member of the Law Review and an Olin Fellow in Law & Economics. After law school, he spent several years as a federal litigator and thereafter he was a commercial litigator in private practice in New Jersey for almost three decades.
For the past five years, Judge Strickler has also been an adjunct professor at the NYU School of Law, teaching a course on the litigation of economic issues in intellectual property actions. Over this same period, he has taught an undergraduate variation of the course to NYU students in the Music Business program. Previously, Judge Strickler also taught microeconomics and macroeconomics at the university level.
In the interdisciplinary area of copyrights, economics, and law, Judge Strickler is a member of the Society for Economic Research on Copyright Issues (SERCI). He was a featured speaker at SERCI’s 2015 Annual Congress in Glasgow, Scotland, and he has been an anonymous article referee for the organization’s journal, the Review of Economic Research on Copyright Issues (RERCI). In December 2015, RERCI published an article by Judge Strickler entitled: Royalty Rate Setting for Sound Recordings by the United States Copyright Royalty Board: The Judicial Need for Independent Scholarly Economic Analysis. In September 2024, Judge Strickler spoke at the 2024 annual symposium of the Columbia Law School’s Kernochan Center on the “Past, Present and Future of Copyright Licensing.” He is the author of an article, “Identifying an Effectively Competitive Market: “The Work of the Copyright Royalty Board,” in The Columbia Journal of Law and the Arts (forthcoming 2025).
Elizabeth Porter, James W. Mifflin University Professor of Law
- https://www.law.uw.edu/directory/faculty/porter-elizabeth
- Liz Porter is the James W. Mifflin Professor of Law at the University of Washington. Her research, which has been published in top journals including the Columbia Law Review, the New York University Law Review, and the Cornell Law Review, focuses on civil litigation. She is co-editor of A Guide to Civil Procedure: Integrating Critical Legal Perspectives (N.Y.U. Press 2022). Professor Porter teaches Civil Procedure, Complex Litigation, Torts, Constitutional Law, and Federal Courts. She also directs the Ninth Circuit Pro Bono Appellate Advocacy Clinic. In 2014, she received the University of Washington Distinguished Teaching Award. Professor Porter has a J.D. from Columbia Law School, where she was an Articles Editor for the Columbia Law Review. Following law school, she served as a law clerk for Judge Sidney R. Thomas at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. During OT 2002, she was a law clerk for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the United States Supreme Court.
Xuan-Thao Nguyen, Pendleton Miller Chair in Law
- https://www.law.uw.edu/directory/faculty/porter-elizabeth
- Professor Nguyen is internationally renowned for her expertise in the intersections of business commercial law, financing, intellectual property, bankruptcy, licensing and taxation. She has received numerous awards in recognition of her interdisciplinary scholarship as well as her outstanding teaching and mentorship. These include the Indiana University Trustees Teaching Award in 2020 and the 2016 Grant Gilmore Award from the American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers. In addition to her scholarship and teaching, Professor Nguyen also serves as the director of the University of Washington’s School of Law’s Asian Law Center.
Nguyen is a senior consultant for the World Bank/IFC on financial infrastructure projects in China, Vietnam, and the Mekong Region. In her consultant capacity, she conducts workshops and provides drafting comments to financing and data protection proposed legislations and international best practices. She works with China People’s Court Press, China National People’s Congress _Legislative Affairs Commission, Supreme People’s Court, People’s Bank of China-Credit Information Systems Bureau, Vietnam Supreme People’s Court, Vietnam National Banks Association, Judicial General Council of Mongolia, and Cambodia Ministry of Justice in the training of judges, lawyers, and bank officials on financing and data protection law. She currently serves on the Scientific Council, University of Economics & Law, Vietnam National University, shaping the University’s strategic vision.
Prior to joining UW Law, Nguyen has been the Gerald L. Bepko Chair in Law and director of the Center for Intellectual Property Law and Innovation at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College and earned her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law.
Michael Poster, Partner-in-Charge, Music Acquisitions and Financing Chair at Michelman & Robinson
- https://www.mrllp.com/professional/michael-s-poster/
- Michael Poster represents clients in a broad range of corporate and financing transactions, with a focus on music industry deals. Michael Poster specializes in catalog acquisitions, corporate M&A, debt and equity financing transactions, joint ventures, strategic partnerships, and other deals where the music industry and corporate dealmaking converge.
Michael’s music catalog experience spans the length of his career, and includes buy-side and sell-side catalog transactions across nearly every deal size, rights type, and genre in the marketplace, and involves clients including major and independent labels, private-equity backed buyers, top industry executives, hit-making songwriters, and key sources of debt and equity financing.
Michael has been named in Billboard’s annual list of Top Music Lawyers each year from 2018 through 2024 and has been included among its listing of top legal dealmakers in music catalog transactions. Michael was also recognized as a “Power Lawyer in Music” by The Hollywood Reporter, included in Variety’s “Legal Impact Report”, and recognized by his peers in both “Best Lawyers” and “Super Lawyers.”
Michael serves as chairman of the Mondo.NYC annual CLE event, the premier music & technology legal event in New York City, and has previously been chair of other NY-based entertainment and media law programs for more than 10 years. In addition, he has spoken and published articles on copyright, corporate finance, entertainment, and licensing issues and is frequently quoted on music and copyright law issues in Billboard, the Wall Street Journal, Axios, Law360, Forbes, Bloomberg, World IP Review, and other publications.
Michael received his B.A. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and his J.D. from New York University School of Law.
Rudy Kim, Litigation Partner, Intellectual Property, Paul Hastings
- Rudy Kim is a partner in the Intellectual Property practice of Paul Hastings and is the Chair of the Litigation Department in Palo Alto. Mr. Kim has over 20 years of experience representing clients in high-stakes IP and technology-related litigation involving patent infringement, trade secret misappropriation, and complex commercial claims in federal district and appellate courts, in private arbitration, and before the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO). He has also successfully tried criminal jury cases with the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office and regularly teaches Trial Advocacy classes at Stanford Law School.
Mr. Kim previously served as a law clerk to the Honorable Alan D. Lourie of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C. He is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, an honorary organization limited to one-third of one percent of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction. Mr. Kim has been recognized by the Best Lawyers in America for Litigation – Intellectual Property. He has also been recognized as a Law Firm Leader in Patent & ITC litigation by Lawyers of Color and by Who’s Who Legal: Patents.
Mr. Kim serves as a Vice Chair of the Patent Litigation Committee of the Federal Circuit Bar Association. He is a past President of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Silicon Valley and a member of the Silicon Valley Intellectual Property Law Association, the San Francisco Bay Area Intellectual Property American Inn of Court, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, and the International Association of Korean Lawyers.