Emerald City Comic Con 2020 CLE Registration

Emerald City Comic Con, in association with Thomas A. Crowell, Esq., and the National Academy of Continuing Legal Education present

CLE: THE LAW AND PRACTICE OF REPRESENTING COMIC BOOK CREATORS - 2020

From Panel to Publisher – Representing Comic Book Creator Clients in 2020

We’re back for our fourth straight year at ECCC with some exciting new topics for lawyers interested in the burgeoning businesses of comic book and graphic novel publishing.

Over the last few years the comic book publishing industry has enjoyed its most lucrative period in its history, with combined graphic novel and comic book sales reaching $1.095 billion. Superhero movies continue to outperform other genres, bringing in billions of dollars a year. In short, representing comic creators and publishers is an exciting and growing practice area for entertainment lawyers, intellectual property practitioners, corporate transaction attorneys, or any attorney interested in working with artists and small businesses.

Thursday, March 12, 2020

11:30 AM – 3:00 PM (includes a 30 minute break)

3 Hours // 3.0 Law and Legal Procedure MCLE Credits

In this first course, we present an overview of the comic book industry over the past year, highlight new areas of litigation and transactional work, and provide the  fundamentals of representing comic book industry clients. Because the comic book industry is very focused on diversity and inclusion, we are adding new topics in these areas. Some of the issues explored in this first CLE:

• The state of the comic book industry and legal practice


• Diversity and inclusion issues for the comic book industry practitioner


• Emerging intellectual property issues in the comic book industry


• Key contracts every comic book lawyer needs to know


• Evolving legal issues in self-publishing of comic book properties


• Q&A

Friday:

Comic Book Contract Negotiation and Drafting Practicum - 2020

Friday, March 13, 2020

1:30 PM – 3:45 PM (includes a 15 minute break)

2 Hours // 2.0 Law and Legal Procedure MCLE Credits

This CLE workshop teaches practical skills in comic book legal practice. The information taught on Thursday’s CLE is incorporated into a hands-on negotiation and drafting practicum, featuring breakout groups, in-class short drafting assignments, and brand new exercises.

This is an intensive two-hour course: attendees will do write a rough draft of key comic book agreement provisions, engage in client interview exercises tailored to the comic book industry, and prepare a deal memo for a publishing agreement. Attendees will get a chance to issue-spot, draft, and engage in mock negotiations.

Some of the Issues explored in this second CLE:

• Issue-spotting with the comic book creator client


• Drafting techniques for key comic book contract clauses


• Creator’s services agreements


• Negotiating publishing agreements


• Q&A

NOTE: Each CLE workshop may be taken individually, but the organizers recommend both be taken for maximum exposure to the subject matter.