West Virginia (WV) Copyright Law CLE Course Catalog

Experienced intellectual property lawyer Peter Afrasiabi reveals these traps for the unwary, including moral rights in certain art works, statutory damages for copyright infringement, and lack of copyright ownership for works created by independent contractors and trademark counterfeiting mistakes, and what steps you can take to protect your clients from these risks.

In the latest installment of “The Curious Lawyer” series, Peter Afrasiabi answers these and other key questions that surround the use of generative artificial intelligence tools to create deepfakes.

How well do you know the requirements for use of a work to qualify as “fair use” under copyright law? Experienced intellectual property litigator Peter Afrasiabi explains the rules in clear terms – for copyright aficionados and novices alike – while engaging in a lively discussion of key cases.

Join us to examine the convoluted litigation history that underlies this immensely popular, global motion picture franchise. Peter chronicles the key legal disputes that plagued the franchise for much of its storied history, and discusses the interesting and complex legal issues those disputes raised.

Did you know that authors have “moral rights” that allow them to exercise some measure of control over their works even after those works are sold? In the United States, moral rights are codified in the Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990 (“VARA”) and subsequent case law. Experienced intellectual property litigator Peter Afrasiabi provides an introduction to moral rights while discussing key cases interpreting VARA in the context of various works of art including murals, sculptures, street graffiti, “living art” such as gardens, and other interesting examples.

As business continues to evolve into a more globalized workforce, GCs are being tasked with setting up international offices, aligning resources and coverage, and deciding where to build out legal teams. Understanding cross borders Communications and cultural differences have become business essential, not just to get deals done, but also to maintain strong cross-border partnerships. Join our panelists as they discuss the role of legal in international relations, and share their expertise and lived experiences with all international business dealings.

Who killed JFK? While he doesn’t answer that question, in the latest installment of “The Curious Lawyer” series, Peter Afrasiabi discusses several legal issues arising from the assassination of President Kennedy including copyright, freedom of speech and the press, government takings, prosecutorial overreach, access to government records, and antitrust.

Conversations around generative artificial intelligence are dominating the social stratosphere. By simulating human cognitive thinking, generative AI can produce new types of text, imagery, audio, and synthetic data by using patterns and informational elements obtained from prior works. Because generative AI often relies on pools of data and third-party creations to create new content, there is a concern that generative AI may, whether intentionally or inadvertently, exploit copyright-protected content to develop purportedly original content. Organizations that leverage generative AI tools should be mindful of how the tools are used in a commercial context to mitigate the risk of infringing uses. Likewise, owners of intellectual property should be aware of how their works are used by generative AI models and the users of these tools, and timely action should be taken to defend intellectual property against infringement.

In this program, a panel of thought leaders and practitioners assembled by The Knowledge Group will discuss the recent trends and significant challenges surrounding NFTs and the associated legal landscape, including helpful insights to avoid potential risks.">In this program, a panel of thought leaders and practitioners assembled by The Knowledge Group will discuss the recent trends and significant challenges surrounding NFTs and the associated legal landscape, including helpful insights to avoid potential risks.