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The American Musicological Society and the Sports, Art & Entertainment Section of the Minnesota State Bar Association are co-hosting a day of CLE sessions as part of the AMS’s 91st Annual Meeting on 6–9 November 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis. The conference-style event includes a special day of CLE sessions focused on the intersection of music and law, including topics such as copyright infringement litigation and related musicological analysis as well as law and policy issues raised by artificial intelligence, music privacy, and more. Speakers include experienced music and entertainment attorneys and forensic musicologists. CLE credit approval is pending.
All events will be held in the Skyway A-B at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis on Friday, 7 November 2025
Co-Presented with the Sports, Art & Entertainment Section of the Minnesota State Bar Association.
Program & Schedule
Music Copyright Infringement Case Decision Review (9:30am–10:30am CST)
This panel will provide an update on how courts have been ruling in cases involving copyright infringement of musical compositions and sound recordings. It will also give attendees a chance to hear the music at the heart of some recent infringement claims.
Moderator: Robert Robert (Bob) Clarida, Esq., Partner, Reitler Kailas & Rosenblatt LLP
Presenter(s): Peter Anderson, Esq., Partner, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP; Barbara Marchevsky, Esq., Shareholder, Fredrikson; Katherine M. Leo, Ph.D., J.D., Associate Professor of Music, Millikin University
How a Music Copyright Infringement Case Unfolds Procedurally (11:00am–12:00pm CST)
This panel will walk through a music copyright infringement scenario, from when a potential plaintiff contacts an attorney through to the conclusion of a jury trial, explaining what the steps and considerations are along the journey.
Moderator: Kenneth J. Abdo, Esq., Partner, Fox Rothschild
Presenter(s): Timothy C. Matson, Esq., Counsel, Fox Rothschild; Dana DeVlieger, Ph.D. Esq., Associate, Latham & Watkins LLP; Robert Fink, Ph.D., Professor of Musicology/Music Industry, Chair, Music Industry Programs, and Director, University of California Los Angeles Berry Gordy Music Industry Center
Methods and Ethics in Music Copyright Analysis (1:30pm–2:30pm CST)
This panel will feature a discussion by preeminent scholars and expert witnesses about current methods and ethics in the forensic evaluation of musical similarity claims. They will consider the responsibilities of experts to clients and factfinders in communicating about music, their role in the litigation process, and the impact of forensic musicological analyses on case trajectories.
Moderator: Katherine M. Leo, Ph.D., J.D., Associate Professor of Music, Millikin University
Presenter(s): John Covach, Ph.D., Professor of Music Theory and Director of the Institute of Popular Music, University of Rochester Eastman School of Music; Alexander Stewart, Ph.D., Professor, Jazz Studies and Ethnomusicology, University of Vermont
Hot Topics in Music Law (3:00pm–4:00pm CST)
This panel will examine several “hot topics” at the intersection of law and music including law and policy issues raised by artificial intelligence, music privacy, and more.
Moderator: Serona Elton, Esq., Interim Vice Dean, Professor and Chair of Music Industry, University of Miami Frost School of Music, and Head of Educational Partnerships, The Mechanical Licensing Collective
Presenter(s): Anthony S. Mendoza, Esq., Co-Chair Sports & Entertainment Practice Group, Fredrikson & Byron, P.A., and Chair, MSBA Sports, Arts & Entertainment Section; Andy Blair, Esq., Founder and Managing Director, Reverb Data
Registration
General Admission
If you would like to attend the “Contemporary Issues in Music and Copyright Law” CLE seminar and do not plan to attend the 2025 AMS-SMT Joint Annual Meeting, please purchase your ticket using the following button. Tickets are $125.
Annual Meeting Attendees
Attendees of the 2025 AMS-SMT Joint Annual Meeting may register to attend the “Contemporary Issues in Music and Copyright Laws” seminar using the Annual Meeting registration form. Those who have already registered for the annual meeting may register for this CLE seminar by completing the Special Events Add-On form. The specially discounted registration price for annual meeting attendees is $100.