Protecting Fashion Designs:
Fashion Law Basics for Designers and Lawyers
An innovative fashion law roundtable event
Wednesday, September 18, 2013 - 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM 
at Bloomingdale's Century City, Second Floor

with Larry Apolzon, Esq., Christa Perez, Esq.,
& designer Janie Bryant.
Moderated by Nancy L. McCullough

This is a unique opportunity to learn about the legal backdrop of the fashion industry with a panel of distinguished attorneys and an acclaimed designer:

Panelists

Attorney Larry Apolzon, partner at Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu, P.C. in New York City, counsels a broad spectrum of clients, many in fashion and luxury products fields, on the adoption, use and enforcement of trademarks as well as new product and package designs, and the use of design patent protection for fashion apparel items. A guest speaker for prior California Lawyers for the Arts' programs, Mr. Apolzon is the co-author of the 2007 book “From Edison to iPod: Protect Your Ideas and Make Money” with Frederick W. Mostert (DK Publishing). 

Janie Bryant, costume designer for AMC's popular "Mad Men" television series, is an Emmy®-winning ("Deadwood", 2005) and Emmy®-nominated ("Mad Men", 2009, 2010, 2011) designer. Ms. Bryant is also acclaimed as a fashion designer, style and trend influencer, and author of the 2010 book "The Fashion File" (Hachette Book Group). Photo provided by Eric Scot

Attorney Christa Perez is a member of the California Fashion Association and partner at Friedman Stroffe & Gerard, P.C., in Orange County, California, where her practice consists of general business and corporate law, as well as intellectual property matters, including trademarks, copyrights, and licensing. Ms. Perez works extensively with clients in the action sports and apparel industries, including several prominent California lifestyle brands.

Panel moderator is Los Angeles attorney Nancy L. McCullough, principal of Law Offices of Nancy L. McCullough and a California Lawyers for the Arts Board of Directors member. Former in-house counsel to Yahoo!, Capitol Records, and Sony Music, Ms. McCullough’s practice focuses on intellectual property, branding, digital technology, entertainment, and media law in transactional, advising, and pre-litigation contexts. She works with prominent and emerging entertainment companies, designers, artists, authors, producers, and technology innovators.

Program Details:

Our lawyer panel will explain available legal protections for fashion designs and designer brands, contrasting copyright, trademark, and design patent protection schemes, as well as right of publicity considerations.  The lawyers will then explain their practical applications, as Ms. Bryant poses questions that designers would typically ask counsel as they conceive and develop their fashion lines, select branding and co-promotional partners, and launch their professional careers in various arenas. 

A selection of Bloomingdale's fall fashions will be featured illustratively during this presentation. The panel concludes with perspectives on the influence of celebrity culture, television, and other media on design, fashion, and lifestyle, and strategies for addressing the unique legal challenges these pose.
 
Designers and lawyers, of all levels and expertise, are welcome at this unique presentation, as well as attendees who are neither, but are avid, interested consumers of fashion and entertainment products.    

Admission is $25 ($15 for CLA members); California State Bar members may receive one hour of general CLE credit for an additional $15 fee.

Please contact Kyle Cowser at (310) 998-5590 for more information.

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Other CLA events in September:

These workshops are made possible, in part, from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission; The City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs; and the California Community Foundation.  Additional support provided by the California Arts Council.