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OBA EM&C: Who Owns That? Copyright Terminations and Reversions in the United States and Canada

By Bob Tarantino
March 6, 2013
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Superman!
“Y.M.C.A.”!
Section 14 of the Copyright Act (Canada)?

Court battles waged by the heirs of the co-creators of Superman and the co-writer of “Y.M.C.A” (Victor Willis, the “cop”, in case you were wondering) are just two examples of efforts by artists in the United States to reclaim their copyrights using statutory termination rights. Copyright laws in the United States and Canada recognize certain “inalienable” rights on the part of authors to terminate grants of copyright (in the United States) or to have grants of copyright revert to an author’s estate (in both the United States and Canada). In the United States, significant litigation looms on the horizon as artists attempt to terminate grants of copyright to record companies and movie studios. In Canada, many people, even entertainment lawyers, are unaware that a “reversionary” right even exists.

The Ontario Bar Association’s Entertainment, Media & Communications Law Section presents a CPD session which will offer a comprehensive overview of US and Canadian legislation and caselaw regarding copyright termination and reversionary rights, providing attendees with the tools to identify and respond to potential termination/reversion issues for their clients – be they creators or owners of copyrights.

Moderated by Angelika Heim, featuring presentations by Adam Davids and Bob Tarantino, this breakfast program will be taking place on Tuesday, March 26, 2013, and can be attended both in-person and via webcast. Registration information is available here.

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Bob Tarantino

About Bob Tarantino

Bob Tarantino is Counsel at Dentons Canada LLP and focuses his practice on the interface between the entertainment industries and intellectual property law, with an emphasis on film and television production, financing, licensing, distribution, and IP acquisition and protection. His clients range from artists and independent producers to Canadian distributors and foreign studios and financiers at every stage of the creative process, from development to delivery and exploitation.

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