Matt Hallisy

Staff: 

Legal Intern

Joined NMR in: 

August 2022
 
Matt is a 2nd Year Law Student at California Western School of Law. Matt spent the better part of two decades in leadership positions in Corporate Compliance in the Finance & Higher Education industries. Matt led diverse project teams implementing cutting edge technology solutions to revolutionize corporate compliance operations for a Fortune 1000 publicly traded company. Prior to attending California Western, Matt earned his Bachelors Degree from the University of Miami and an MBA from the University of Arizona. 

 

Cameron Nia

Staff: 

Legal Intern

Joined NMR in: 

August 2022
 
My name is Cameron Nia, and I am going to be a 2L student this year. I am from Scottsdale, Arizona and I am passionate about sports and entertainment. I am so excited to be a part of New Media Rights this semester and I can't wait to get started this fall. A fun fact about me is that I am a triplet. 
 

Katie Jackson

Staff: 

Legal Intern

Joined NMR in: 

May 2022

Katie grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, but has lived in San Diego for the past 12 years. She graduated from San Diego State University with a BS in Management Information Systems.

Katie is entering her third year as a law student at California Western School of Law. As a law student, she is a member of the Business Law Society and the Women's Law Caucus and is currently a law clerk for Parker Legal Group.

In her free time, Katie enjoys yoga, reading, traveling and going on runs with her adorable husky, Angel.

Justine Berard

Staff: 

Legal Intern

Joined NMR in: 

May 2022
Justine was born in Montreal, Canada and raised in Washington, D.C. Prior to law school, she graduated from Clark University in Massachusetts with a B.A. in political science and economics. 
 
Since starting law school, Justine interned with Better APC, where she worked on various projects involving different types of business law including in intellectual property, employment, entertainment and contracts. The intersectionality of creativity in business law is something that excites her a lot. She is eager to collaborate with creators at New Media Rights and help them achieve success. 
 
At CWSL, she competed as an oral advocate for the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, served as treasurer for the Business Law Society, and is a current member of the Women's Law Caucus. Outside of law school, she enjoys hiking, yoga, surfing and anything active that San Diego has the offer. She is also an avid foodie and loves live entertainment whether it be a concert or sports game!

Larryn Zeigler

Staff: 

Legal Intern

Joined NMR in: 

January 2022

Larryn graduated from the University of Oregon with a BS in Political Science and minor in Business Administration. He worked at adidas: Entertainment Influencer Marketing as a marketing assistant until entering law school at California Western School of Law in 2019.
As a second-year law student at CWSL, he is currently the President of the Black Law School Association (BLSA) and also an Honors Instructor for Legal Skills I and Legal Skills II. He also is currently a judicial extern for the Honorable John A. Houston of the U.S. District Court.
Outside of school, he is passionate about playing basketball and creating films. He is the winner of the 37th Annual College Emmy Television Award: Director of Best Variety Short Film

Larryn hopes to leverage his skills as a creative and a law student to shape the future of law and entertainment.  “We don’t fear the future, we shape it.” – Barack Obama

Copyright Office issues final small claims rules for Copyright Claims Board, cites New Media Rights’ comments

The United States Copyright Office recently published its final rule for implementation of the procedures that are to govern the initial stages of a Copyright Claims Board (CCB) proceeding. The CCB will be a new forum where copyright small claims disputes can be heard.

It will have a significant impact on creators and technology businesses. Disputes previously too costly to bring to federal court can now be brought to the CCB, which allows claims up to $30,000 (no more than $15,000 per work). Many creators will either face disputes brought against them as respondents, or consider using the process as an enforcement mechanism. 

The final rule establishes a process for bringing claims at the CCB, and directly cites New Media Rights’ comments, written by California Western School of Law 2L Mariana Perez, Executive Director Art Neill, and Assistant Director Erika Lee, multiple times. Our comments discussed law school clinic participation, concerns regarding how respondents receive adequate awareness of the claims against them, the need to collect data on CCB proceedings and revisit and improve CCB processes, and various grammar and typographical errors in the proposed rules.

New Media Rights also separately participated in a comment on behalf of law school clinics. The law clinicians’ comments raised a number of challenges with relying heavily or solely on law school clinics to provide legal support for clients with CCB matters.

Mariana Perez, CWSL 2LNew Media Rights student fellow, and California Western School of Law 2L Mariana Perez had this to say about the project:

“I thought this was a really interesting project and really enjoyed being able to really dive into the inter-workings of the CCB. Being able to write a comment allowed me to be involved in the creation of an entirely new system and watch a significant shift in the way copyright is litigated, which was a very valuable experience!”

Executive Director Art Neill says that “The CCB represents a sea change for copyright disputes. Despite the CCB’s description as a “small claims” venue, with claims up to $30,000 and $5,000 of attorney’s fees at stake, it will be critical for participants to know their rights, including the ability to opt-out, as well their right to raise appropriate defenses. Copyright is a complex area of law, and it remains to be seen whether the CCB can provide a level playing field for parties.”  

A couple of key facts about the CCB:

  • Participation is voluntary - Both claimants (those that file claims with the CCB) and respondents (those against whom a claim is brought) can decide whether or not to participate in CCB proceedings. No one is required to argue a dispute before the CCB; a party with a copyright claim can choose to go to federal court instead, and a respondent can opt out of a CCB proceeding. In addition, if a respondent chooses to opt out, the claimant can still bring a lawsuit against that respondent in federal court.

  • Types of Claims - Claimants can bring 1) claims of infringement of a copyright; 2) claims seeking declarations that specific activities do not infringe copyright; and 3) claims of “misrepresentation” in notices sent under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

  • Dispute Amount - Claims cannot exceed $30,000 at the CCB.

You can find basic details about the CCB here, and a more comprehensive FAQ here.

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