Seminars and Workshops

Are you a VLA Attorney Member? Contact us to find out how you can save on our seminars and webinars.

Upcoming Webinars:  

Avoiding and Defending Against Claims of Online Defamation.

The seeming anonymity of blogging, discussion boards, and comment boxes help make the Internet a bastion of open expression. At the same time, the free online exchange puts writers and hosting services at risk that the subjects of discussion will strike back with defamation lawsuits. Individuals can claim online comments damaged their reputation. Businesses can claim comments were false advertising or commerical disparagement that cost them revenue. Some file SLAPPs (strategic lawsuits against public participation) to dissuade and punish negative online comments. The anonymity of an online posting can disappear with the website host is supoenaed. This online presentation will explain what the First Amendment does (and does not) protect, the scope of third-party liability, how to moderate and screen comments to protect against defamation claims, and how to defend against those claims if and when they come.

Date: Monday, August 9, 2010
Time: 1:00PM - 2:00PM EST
Cost: $20

To register, click here

About the Presenters:

Dan Booth, Esq and Jason Sweet, Esq. are the partners in Booth Sweet LLP, the Commercial Arts & Technology Law Firm.  Their practice is dedicated to supporting people in creative industries, with a focus on helping clients protect and capitalize on their intellectual property rights. Prior to Booth Sweet, Mr. Booth worked as a litigation associate at Goodwin Procter LLP and Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP, and served of counsel for several Massachusetts law firms.  In law school, he was a legal assistant at both Universal/Motown Records Group and the Film/TV Department of Matador Records.  He is an active member of Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts.  He is a graduate of Columbia Law School and Hampshire College.

Mr. Sweet worked for over a decade at national advertising agencies, including Hill Holiday, Digitas, and Leo Burnett.  While in law school, he was a litigation paralegal at Sally Fitch LLP and a law clerk at the Internet Crimes Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General's office.  He received his J.D. from Suffolk University Law School and his B.A. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Upcoming Trainings:

Non Profit Incorporation Seminar:This workshop will assist groups who want to learn more about becoming tax exempt organizations. The goal is to better prepare arts organizations for success in the pre and post registration process.

  • There are two steps:
  • Tuesday, June 8, 2010 (4:30-6:30pm)
    at Goodwin Procter
    Exchange Place, 53 State Street, Boston, MA 02109

Note: The VLA requires this questionnaire to be completed before finding you a referral attorney for non-profit incorporation. (Fee for the workshop is $35, with $20 for each additional person from the same organization. Members receive a 10% discount).

The Business of Music: Band Agreements

Valerie Lovely, Esq.

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED
at Goodwin Procter
Exchange Place, 53 State Street, Boston, MA 02109

Are you are currently in a band or just starting a band? Then this seminar is for you! Join us to learn about the common pitfalls of bands and how to avoid these pitfalls. This seminar will discuss what a band agreement is and how to discuss important topics with your band members, including ownership of copyright and the division of royalties.

Valerie Lovely, Esq. has been a musician for most of her life. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Film Scoring from Berklee College of Music in Boston. She plays several instruments, has performed in rock bands, chamber groups, wind ensembles, and in studio projects, and has composed music in various styles and for use in a variety of media.

To register for this event, please fill out and return our registration form.

Cost: $30 per individual, $10 each additional band member, and $20 for VLA Members. Please contact our office to learn more about scholarships offered to this event.

lease make checks payable to: Arts and Business Council of Greater Boston

Consignment of Fine Art, M.G.L. ch. 104A: The law governing the consignment of fine art was recently updated. The VLA is offering a series of workshops to artists, art dealers and attorneys to better understand the protections and obligations of this law. ($10).

If you would like to request a workshop in your area, please contact James Grace at jim@artsandbusinesscouncil.org.

If you are interested in reserving a space, please email your name of organization, name of people attending and their relation to the organization, address and date of seminar to mail@artsandbusinesscouncil.org 

If you are interested in learning more about this topic and would like downloadable resources, please click here.

To be notified by email when our new seminars are scheduled, please send your name, mailing address, and email address to mail@vlama.org. To suggest programs that you would like to see, contact us at mail@artsandbusinesscouncil.org

Membership

If you are interested in attending any of these workshops, please email mail@artsandbusinesscouncil.org with your name, phone, email and which seminar you wish to attend. If you are interested in becoming a VLA Member Artist or Member Organization, please click here.

Attorney Trainings

Non Profit Seminar 

For more information, please email msanohewitt@lawyersclearinghouse.org with your name, firm and contact information. To learn more about the attorney membership program please click here.

If the topic you are interested in is not listed above, please click here. The VLA offers a Speakers's Bureau to request seminars on specific topics.

Click here to get a pdf of the event flyer.

VLA Seminar Series

The VLA regularly schedules seminars around the state in conjunction with local arts organizations that host, schedule and promote these seminars. We schedule many of these seminars based on interest generated through our newsletters, the website and individual arts organizations.

Proposed Topics:

  • Contracts for Artists
    • 104 A & Gallery Contracts
    • Image Licensing
  • Copyright & Trademark
  • Estate Planning for Artists
  • Marketing
    • Effective Writing for Artists
    • Creating an Effective Website
  • Tax for Small Business
  • The Business of Music
    • Hiring a Manager
    • Negotiating a Recording Contract
  • Protecting the Written Word
    • Copyright for Writers
    • Using Others' Work
  • Contracts for Writers
    • Author Agreements
    • Submission Agreements
    • Illustrator Agreements