Commercial

Negotiation and closing of a variety of contracts within the film, television and music industries including label deals, music publishing, film contracts, television format protection & licensing, joint venture agreements, management and agency deals and related ancillary exploitation contracts.

Case officer in the US federal litigation in relation to trademarks, brand, ancillary, audio-visual and music rights and revenues for cult film This is Spinal Tap, including management of litigation PR campaign. Responsibility for the management of the transfer of all intellectual property rights in relation to the brand into the ownership of the Spinal Tap creators. The development of the licensing structure for the right owning holding company and establishment of mechanisms to police widespread trademark infringement that had prevailed via longstanding merchandise piracy.

2016-2023 designed, wrote and served as Executive Editor of www.fairnessrocks.com - talent advocacy/news service and information resource for creators of music and film

Legal adviser to UK collective management organisation for audio-visual rights in relation to the technical contributors to film. Role included the preparation of membership agreements, rules of distribution, board governance, GDPR compliance and internal appeals procedures.

Case officer on behalf of Irish author/performers U2 for the worldwide audit of the UK’s Performing Right Society and its associated international collecting society network. The audit resulted in release of significant sums of unpaid royalties.

Strategic royalty advice for a number of respected international writers and recording artists and forensic audits of their rights and income as administered by the collecting society network.

IP adviser to the British and European cinematographers associations and the British and European guilds for film production design.

2007 to 2010 Consultant to Endemol, reporting to CEO Endemol Worldwide. Work included analysis of global IP rights position, restructuring business model of the Group's global music rights.

2000 to 2006 A senior level roving brief at FremantleMedia, the international television production & licensing subsidiary of Bertelsmann’s RTL Television: legal gatekeeper for the worldwide brand rollout of television format Pop Idol (American Idol) to over 35 counties worldwide. Acting Divisional Head of Legal and Business Affairs (turnover exceeding US$300 million) for production units in Europe, Asia/Pacific, South America, Spanish-speaking USA, Middle East and Africa. Acting Vice President, Legal and Business Affairs for Fremantle Enterprises (divisional turnover exceeded US$400 million), the worldwide licensing division for ancillary rights.

1990s CEO of UK music authors’ trade body, British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Perfomers (now the Ivors Academy): operation of the business, public affairs, lobbying at both domestic and EU level, under membership mandate the Academy's two very effective submissions to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission Enquiry into the PRS, the founding of Legal and Business Affairs Workshops, submissions to Government in relation to performers' rights, copyright duration and rental and lending.

Executive producer of Ivor Novello Awards.

Founder director of the Association of United Recording Artists (AURA, now subsumed into PPL) the collecting society established to administer the neighbouring rights income of featured performers following the implementation into UK law of EU Directive 92/100.

1980s Producer of Moments Before Desire, a 35 minute dramatized documentary on juvenile offending, written and performed by young offenders and requested by The National Film Archive.

1980s Editor and lead author of The Independent Producer: Film and Television, pub. Faber and Faber, the "ground-breaking" (Financial Times) overview of the law and trade practices of the then emerging independent film and television production sector.

Academic and Policy

2016 - present Visiting Professor, Institute of Brand and Innovation Law, Faculty of Laws, University College London. Convener since 2017 of annual conference Data and Privacy: Law & Practice; events in relation to 21st century copyright management and the protection of author and performers.

Drafted the UK Government's CC Skills Council National Occupational Standards (NOS) Units for the UK national educational curriculum for 14-19 year olds in copyright, entertainment industry practices and related media law.

Drafting submissions to the Government's IP review body, the Strategic Advisory Board for Intellectual Property (SABIP), on behalf of 4000 UK film and television directors.

1996 – 2004 Adjunct Professor of International Copyright at the School of Law, Pepperdine University, Malibu, California. Pepperdine was at the time, a Top Tier US law school that included the US No. 1 Institute for Dispute Resolution. Designed and delivered the IP post-graduate degree syllabus, securing American Bar Association accreditation for the subjects: International Copyright, European Competition Law, Music Industry Trade Practices and The Collective Administration of IP Rights.

Drafted International Code of Practice for Participation Television to ensure compliance with local regulatory bodies (eg OfCom in the UK) and foreign domestic legislation.

Drafting submissions to the U.S. Copyright Office for Music Licensing Study and Authors’ Consent Decree Review on behalf of UK Music Managers’ Forum and the UK Featured Artists Coalition

Management of the nationwide PR campaign and subsequent Parliamentary Select Committee submissions in respect of commissioning and support of contemporary classical music, on behalf of UK’s classical composers, classical music publishers’ and composers’ estates.

Accredited IP auditor with the British government's Intellectual Property Office