On Friday, April 21 the Brooklyn Entertainment and Sports Law Society (BESLS) hosted the inaugural Brooklyn Law Entertainment Law Symposium. The Symposium theme was “Contemporary Legal Issues in the Entertainment Industry” and had many students, faculty, practitioners, family, and friends in attendance – BESLS is already excited for next year!
The second panel of the day, “The Effect of Emerging Technology on the Entertainment Industry” produced a very insightful discussion about the impact of emerging technologies including blockchain and artificial intelligence on the entertainment industry. Brooklyn Law Alum Erica Carter (Senior Counsel at Epic Games; BESLS Alumni of the Year 2019) moderated the panel and was joined by Peter Hart (Associate at Fenwick & West, LLP), Moish Peltz (Partner at Falcon Rappaport), and Julia Rheiu (Associate at Covington).
Ms. Carter kicked off the panel by asking whether the panelists and their workplaces have incorporated AI systems. The panelists agreed certain AI technologies, such as ChatGPT, can benefit the practice of law by cutting down the time it takes to complete tasks related to research, especially for junior associates who are often handling multiple, time-consuming research assignments at a time.
The conversation shifted into a discussion of other emerging technologies. The panelists discussed the initial growth in popularity of NFTs during the COVID-19 pandemic and how the use of NFTs has evolved since. The panelists focused on the intersection of NFTs and the music industry, pointing to the increasing use of NFTs as concert tickets and as tokens fans can use to gain access to exclusive content from their favorite artists. The panelists agreed that providing “top fans,” like 1% listeners on Spotify, with the artist’s exclusive NFTs could potentially be a great idea, if executed properly.
The panelists moved on to a discussion of virtual reality technology (“VR”) and its impact on entertainment. The panelists focused in on virtual reality concerts taking place in the Metaverse and other virtual worlds. As more concerts are taking place virtually, there are an increasing number of legal inquiries that have yet to be answered. For example, the panel discussed how an attendee’s avatar was assaulted during a virtual concert and questioned whether there are real world causes of action for such behavior. As this virtual realm develops, it may certainly become a new jurisdiction. Only time will tell.
BESLS and everyone in attendance would like to thank our amazing panelists, Mr. Hart, Mr. Peltz, and Ms. Rheiu and moderator Erica Carter for an insightful and eye-opening conversation about emerging technologies and their impact on the entertainment industry.
Written by: Remi Ginsberg & Haley Zenenberg
Remi is a 2025 J.D. Candidate at Brooklyn Law School & Haley is a 2024 J.D. Candidate at Brooklyn Law School
