Inside the Conversation: Loeb & Loeb’s 2025 IP & Entertainment CLE Conference in LA

Loeb & Loeb hosted its 16th annual IP/Entertainment Law CLE Conference in Los Angeles on Oct. 23, drawing approximately 350 in-house counsel from across the entertainment industry for a day of panels examining the legal and business issues shaping film, television, music, sports, podcasts and emerging media. Designed for in-house legal professionals, the conference has become one of Loeb’s signature events since its debut in 2008. The firm also hosts a companion program each year in New York, extending the conversation coast to coast.

The conference kicked off with a panel on the future of live immersive entertainment, led by Stefan Schick and Carol Kaplan, co-chairs of Loeb’s Theater & Live Entertainment practice, and Amy Ortner, chief business affairs officer and general counsel at Primary Wave Music. The trio explored how immersive theater and live immersive entertainment, a growth sector in the industry, draws on existing contractual models, in particular from live stage, and raises novel legal issues around rights, services, liability and merchandising, among others, for the protection and promotion of entertainment assets.

The morning continued with our popular “Recent Cases of Interest” review presented by Litigation partner Safia Hussain, Litigation associates Todd Densen and Erin Shields, and Advanced Media & Technology associate Jessica Manavi. The quartet examined copyright and trademark disputes across the entertainment industry, highlighting recent cases involving ownership, fair use, parody, licensing and unauthorized use of creative content, and offering practical insights.

In the subsequent panel on groundbreaking court rulings and entertainment deals involving artificial intelligence (AI), Loeb Litigation partners Tal Dickstein and Frank D’Angelo; Entertainment partner John Kulback; Edward Lee, a professor at Santa Clara University School of Law; and Aruni Soni, an intellectual property law reporter at Bloomberg Law, reviewed how groundbreaking court decisions and innovative transactions are shaping the developing legal framework for AI-generated entertainment content and raising critical questions around ownership, infringement and fair use. As creators and platforms increasingly leverage AI to produce and distribute content, they must work within the shifting legal guardrails that will define the deals—and the disputes—of the future. 

Following lunch, John Frankenheimer, chair of Loeb’s Music industry group; Derek Crownover, vice chair of the group; Litigation partner Tim Warnock and Peter Brodsky, general counsel and executive vice president of business affairs at Sony/ATV Music Publishing, discussed the legal mechanics of music catalog transactions. The panel discussed current market conditions, deal structures and how rights, royalties, reversions and contractual control shape the creative and financial outcomes of catalog sales, emphasizing that the true value of a deal lies in its legal foundation and the protection it provides to artists and investors alike.

In the afternoon, Brian Heidelberger, chair of the firm’s Advertising, Marketing & Promotions practice; Libby O’Neill, deputy chair of the practice; Kayla Cobb, a senior TV reporter at TheWrap; and Uche Ndumele, deputy general counsel of Mr. Beast YouTube LLC, led a lively session on how creators are reshaping brand and entertainment ecosystems. The conversation centered on creator-founders as the new drivers of media partnerships, sponsorships and branded entertainment deals, as well as legal considerations around IP ownership, brand control and advertising compliance.

The day concluded with a program featuring Meredith Madnick, director of Pro Bono at Loeb, and Caroline Ryon, senior corporate counsel at Amazon MGM Studios, who discussed best practices for law firms and in-house legal teams partnering on pro bono initiatives, underscoring the legal and strategic considerations that drive effective collaboration and maximize impact.

A cocktail reception closed out the event, providing attendees an opportunity to continue the day’s discussions and connect with colleagues.