Join us at Harvard Law School Thursday, Sept. 22, for a full day of unprecedented immersion in the legal challenges facing digital journalists.
The Online News Association, in partnership with Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society and the UNC Center for Media Law and Policy, presents Law School for Digital Journalists, part of the Pre-Conference day at ONA’s 2011 Conference & Awards Banquet, Sept. 22-24, in Boston.
This intensive day of practical legal training will cover what digital journalists need to know about how the law impacts their profession, both on the editorial and business sides. Classes will be taught by leading media lawyers and journalism educators.
With so much to cover, we plan to run parallel tracks during the day, so if you miss a session in the morning, you can catch it in the afternoon. Registration opens June 15; look for details then.
Date: Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011
Time: 9:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., including lunch and a networking reception
Location: Harvard Law School
Cost: $75.
Transportation: Shuttles will be provided at 8 a.m. from the Boston Marriott Copley Place for ONA11 attendees. Sign-in will be held from 8:30-9:15 a.m. at Harvard Law School.
Program Directors:
Jon Hart, Member, Dow Lohnes PLLC, and Counsel, Online News Association
David Ardia, Assistant Professor, UNC School of Law
Curriculum
Copyright Law — A Primer
9:30 – 10:45 a.m. and 2:45 – 4:00 p.m.
Explore what copyright protects; the rights of copyright holders; fair use; freelance agreements; licensing your content for publication and acquiring content from others; Creative Commons licenses; protection of service providers from liability for infringing content posted by users.
Instructors:
Ken Richieri, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, The New York Times Company
Jon Hart, Member, Dow Lohnes PLLC, and Counsel, Online News Association
Legal Issues in Forming a News Business
9:30 – 10:45 a.m.
Follow start-up issues from concept to operation: naming a business; for-profit or non-profit, including the relevant tax issues; obtaining liability and media insurance; selecting a corporate form for a for-profit, including corporations and LLCs; issues in funding non-profits, including advertising, sales, and underwriting/sponsorships; and dealing with unrelated business income.
Instructors:
Paul Kritzer, Partner, Bucher Law Group LLC
Corinne Antley, Member, Dow Lohnes PLLC
Newsroom Law
11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. and 1:15 – 2:30 p.m.
Learn the risks associated with publication and newsgathering, including libel, privacy, newsgathering torts, subpoena compliance, and media liability insurance. Class will also cover legal issues associated with managing and moderating online comments and other user submissions.
Instructors:
David Ardia, Assistant Professor, UNC School of Law
Cathy Packer, Professor, UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Legal Issues in Running a News Business
11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. and 1:15 – 2:30 p.m.
Get up to speed on branding, trademarks, and domain names; advertising compliance and substantiation; email marketing; data collection, behavioral advertising and privacy; promotions; insurance coverage.
Instructors:
Sherrese Smith, Legal Advisor for Media, Consumer and Enforcement Issues to Chairman Julius Genachowski, Federal Communications Commission
Scott Dailard, Member, Dow Lohnes PLLC
Lunch
12:15 – 1:15 p.m.
Access and FOIA Law
2:45 – 4 p.m.
Learn the rights of access to courts, court records and other government records: responding to courtroom closures and gag orders; use of cameras and other communications devices in the courtroom; information accessible under state and federal freedom of information laws; preparing effective FOIA requests; fighting FOIA denials.
Instructors:
Lucy Dalglish, Executive Director, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Mark Caramanica, Freedom of Information Director, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Closing Plenary Panel
4:15 – 5:30 p.m.
Join us for a high-level discussion of law and journalism, including the tension between copyright law and the First Amendment, and whether more robust legal protections are necessary to ensure a vibrant Fourth Estate.
Moderator:
Jonathan Zittrain, Professor of Law, Harvard Law School
Speakers:
Bruce Keller, Partner, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
Barbara Wall, Vice President and Senior Associate General Counsel, Gannett Co., Inc.
Jon Hart, Member, Dow Lohnes PLLC, and Counsel, Online News Association
Ken Richieri, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, The New York Times Company
Sherrese Smith, Legal Advisor for Media, Consumer and Enforcement Issues to Chairman Julius Genachowski, Federal Communications Commission
Nicole Wong, former Deputy General Counsel, Google Inc.
The day will conclude with a cocktail reception.
