Our Philosophy: The entertainment business is about passion and commitment. We practice law with a passion for creativity and a commitment to our clients’ success.
Our Team: The Lommen Abdo Entertainment & Sports Law department is chaired by Ken Abdo, who brings extensive experience and expertise to helping individuals and businesses in the entertainment industry meet their needs. Bob Donnelly adds 30 years as an attorney focusing solely on the representation of music industry clients. Paul Bezilla's 25-plus years in the entertainment industry includes legal services for an array of high profile individuals and companies. Barry O'Neil litigates entertainment law disputes. Tim Matson adds his considerable expertise in the intellectual property area, including IP litigation, to the group. Dan Young brings his experience with technology businesses. Lee Hutton is an NFL contract advisor and contributes his expertise of sports law to the group. Bryan Feldhaus is the associate attorney in this practice group. Christie Healey, paralegal with the Entertainment & Sports Law Department, has a great depth of experience, having been a business affairs executive for major motion picture studios and distributors and television producers and financiers. Theresa Abdo Whelan has excellent credentials and many years of experience as an entertainment paralegal. Our team offers a broad range of capabilities and a depth of experience that make us competitive with entertainment firms anywhere.
Clients: Our clients include GRAMMY® Award-winning songwriters, recording and performing artists, producers, publishers, record companies, and studios in the music industry; authors and publishers in the literary and electronic publishing industry; Academy Award®, Emmy Award®, and Peabody Award-winning independent producers, writers, and television stations in the film and television industry.
Representative Services:
Ken Abdo knows music from the performing side. He knows it from the business side. And he knows it from the legal side. These days, Abdo is girding for a legal battle with the recording industry over a 1976 amendment to federal copyright law that allows artists to reclaim their work after 35 years and do with it as they please. The process legally is called "termination of transfer of copyright" and Abdo filed the first such notice with the U.S. Copyright Office on behalf of Greenberg. Abdo and Greenberg will know in 2013 whether the retrieval of "Funkytown's" copyright will go smoothly or require litigation. Read the rest of the Star Tribune article, "
A Second Bite at the Apple."
John Simson interviewed Ivan Barius, Songwriter/Producer, Karma Productions at the Future of Music Coalition Policy Summit 2011 at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.
Watch the interview.
Read John Simson's Billboard Bulletin guest post entitled "
Artist Revenue Stream Survey -- The Importance of Being Data."
Termination of Copyright Transfers in Music Receives National and International Interest - Ken Abdo's quote in the New York Times article on August 15, 2011 ignited national and international interest in the topic of termination of copyright transfers.
From Playroom to Pop Stardom - Ken Abdo was interviewed for this April 13, 2011 Star Tribune article concerning young artists.
Listen to the interview of Ken Abdo by Beet Street in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Final Regs Issued on Treating Musical Works as Capital Assets - The IRS issued final regulations on February 4, 2011 governing how to elect to treat the sale or exchange of a musical work or copyright in a musical work as a sale or exchange of a capital asset (TD 9514).
3rd Annual Entertainment & Sports Law Symposium reaches new level with national speakers. Lommen Abdo presented its 3rd Annual Entertainment & Sports Law Symposium for industry professionals in sports, music, interactive, film and other entertainment businesses on Friday, November 12, 2010 on the 50th floor of the IDS Center in Minneapolis.
Though opening night is delayed until early 2011, Lommen Abdo client Reeve Carney readies for his lead role as Spiderman in Broadways most expensive play ever.
Check out the article and photos on Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark in Vogue.
Read Bob Donnelly's Billboard Magazine article, "
Buyer Beware: Why Artists Should Do a 180 on "360" Deals."
Ken Abdo was interviewed for an article on the MinnPost.com news blog on the Performance Right Act. Read the article: "
As stations bombard us with ads against the 'radio tax,' here's the other side of the story."
The
Second Annual Entertainment & Sports Law Symposium was held on November 12, 2009. Lommen Abdo attorneys, partnering with Minnesota Law & Politics® and the GRAMMY Foundation®, spoke to attorneys and industry professionals about substantive legal and business issues addressed in the practice of entertainment and sports law.
Owl City Hits #1 on Billboard Hot 100 - Read the
press release.
View this
Billy McLaughlin video about his determination to learn to play guitar left handed when he became unable to play right handed.
Bob Donnelly has had another
article published…this time in the April 2008 Julliard Journal, which is one of the most prestigious publications in classical music.
An
article which appeared in the March 15, 2008 Boston Globe covering the SXSW Music Festival. Ken Abdo was quoted in the article.
An
article on Ken Abdo which was published in the American Bar Association’s Forum in the Entertainment and Sports Industries quarterly publication.
DAN SATORIUS BLOGGING FROM SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL - Link to Dan's blog for Minnesota Public Radio and Gather.com from the Sundance Film Festival from January 19 to 23, 2008.
DIGITAL AGE SHIFTS ROLES OF LABELS, MUSIC PUBLISHERS
DAN SATORIUS'S GUEST APPEARANCE ON TECH TALK ON TPT-17 - Dan discussed digital rights management. The program was produced by the University of Minnesota. Lommen Abdo client, Professor Jon Riedl, was also a guest.
LAW AND BUSINESS OF THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRIES, 5TH EDITION
FROM BOOK TO SCREEN: MINING LITERARY WORKS IN THE MOVIE BUSINESS
OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY: FINANCING THE LOW-BUDGET INDEPENDENT FEATURE FILM WITH PRIVATE EQUITY SECURITIES OFFERINGS
CLEARING RIGHTS FOR FILM AND TELEVISION PRODUCTIONS
ENTERTAINMENT LAW ETHICS
SHOPPING RECORD DEALS
NET PROFITS
WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH PRODUCTION DEALS?
MANAGERS SHOULDN'T BE ENDANGERED SPECIES