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"Broaden Your Band: Music Law" is a Digital Cafe Tour video series that explores the legal intricacies of the music business, including copyright protections and infringements, sales trends, record deals, songwriting, trademarks, music publishing, more, hosted by DCT's Rob McNeely, an Entertainment Law Attorney and Adjunct Professor. Episodes are available online and syndicated via RSS feed as a video podcast.

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New episodes will be released about every two weeks.

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Episode 2: Copyright
In this episode we explore how to protect an artist's work, beginning with the United States Constitution, Article 1, Section 8, in which Congress secures exclusive rights to artists over their work for their creations for a limited time, and 17 U.S.C. § 102, which states that "Copyright protection subsists… in original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression," meaning a work must be written down or recorded in order to have copyright protection. We discuss exclusive rights arising from a copyright, including the right to reproduce copyrighted works, the right to distribute copies of your original work, and the right to perform copyrighted works publicly, and additional protections gained by registering with the U.S. Copyright Office.

Episode 1: An Introduction
DCT's Rob McNeely, an Entertainment Law Attorney and Adjunct Professor, introduces this video series, which explores the legal intricacies of the music business, including copyright protections and infringements, sales trends, record deals, songwriting, trademarks, band and group issues, music publishing, and creating a support team.

ABOUT ROB McNEELY

Rob McNeely is the Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs for Digital Cafe Tour, and is one of the more knowledgeable entertainment lawyers in the southeast United States. He served as the main attorney for Creed through more than 20 million albums sold and performances before more than one million fans worldwide. He has also performed entertainment and corporate legal services for numerous other bands, artists, and producers, including gold-selling Sevendust and Kendall “KenJo” Johnson, who produced the 2006 Field Mob album Light Poles and Pine Trees and has a track on the successful new Ludacris album, Release Therapy.

Mr. McNeely has represented and negotiated deals for production companies, management companies, record labels, songwriters, recording artists, and authors. He has litigated various entertainment-, copyright-, and trademark-related issues in state and federal courts from Florida to Illinois to Pennsylvania to Nevada.

Every spring, Mr. McNeely serves as an Adjunct Professor of Law, teaching a popular Entertainment Law course at The Florida State University College of Law. He also serves as Treasurer on the Executive Council of The Entertainment and Sports Law Section of The Florida Bar.

A former award-winning journalist, Mr. McNeely earned his Juris Doctorate with high honors from the FSU College of Law in 1993, where he served as an Executive Editor of The Florida State University Law Review and was a Moot Court oral argument champion.

Release and Indemnity Agreement – Attorney Education

Attention: The Content you are about to view is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not legal advice and should not be relied upon as legal advice. By viewing this Content, you agree no attorney/client relationship is created between you and the instructor, his law firm, or Digital Café Tour, LLC.

I affirm, in connection with my viewing and use (“viewing”) in any way of the informational program, its content, or both, that I have been advised of, and fully agree that this program is given for the purpose of information and education only and is not intended to be relied upon as legal advice. I further agree that my viewing of the program has not created, nor was it intended to create, an attorney-client relationship between myself and Rob McNeely, The McNeely Law Firm, or Digital Café Tour, LLC, and that no legal advice has been given or received. I further agree that if legal advice is desired it is my responsibility to retain independent legal counsel.

For, and in consideration of permitting me, to view and use the informational and educational program and its content, I voluntarily release, discharge, waive and forever relinquish any and all actions or causes of action for damages occurring to me, my company, my students, heirs, executors and assigns, arising as a result of receiving instruction during the program. I, for myself and my heirs, executors, and assigns, release, waive, discharge and relinquish any action or causes of action whatsoever which may later arise, and I agree that under no circumstances will I or my heirs, executors, or assigns, prosecute or present any claims for damages against Rob McNeely, The McNeely Law Firm, or Digital Café Tour, LLC, for any cause of action arising out of the informational program, whether the same shall arise by the negligence of any person or otherwise.

I, for myself and my heirs, executors, or assigns agree that in the event any claim for damages shall be prosecuted against Rob McNeely, The McNeely Law Firm, or Digital Café Tour, LLC, as a result of my actions, omissions, or negligence, that I, or my estate, shall indemnify and save harmless Rob McNeely, The McNeely Law Firm, or Digital Café Tour, LLC, from any and all claims or causes of action by whomever and wherever made or presented for damages, including the cost and expense of defending the same.

I acknowledge that I have read the above, have been fully and completely advised that I am not receiving legal advice at the informational and educational program, and am fully aware of the legal consequences of this agreement. I further represent that by clicking through this agreement to the program content, I am unconditionally assenting and agreeing to the terms of this agreement, without which assent and agreement I would not be permitted to proceed.