2027 Midwinter Meeting Omni Nashville Hotel, 250 Rep. John Lewis Way S, Nashville, TN February 11, 2027 – February 13, 2027 Live HOTEL | REGISTRATION RATES | SPONSORSHIP | AGENDA | THANK YOU SPONSORS | CLE | USEFUL LINKS About the Midwinter Meeting We are thrilled to extend a warm invitation to you for our 2027 Midwinter Meeting, scheduled for February 11-13, in Nashville, TN at the Omni Nashville Hotel. We hope you will join us at the heart of Music City for a two and a half days of connection with new and old friends from across the globe! The Midwinter Meeting is a wonderful opportunity to meet other members, identify new clients, make new friendships, and establish important professional relationships. Over two and a half days, attendees are engaged in a collaborative exchange and discourse on some of the most critical, cutting-edge issues at the forefront of copyright and intellectual property. Interested in seeing your name in lights? Consider supporting our work as a sponsor! Hotel Accommodations We will be at the Omni Nashville Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. You can book your room online here or by calling (615) 782-5300 and mentioning the Copyright Society. Please note our group block ends Sunday, January 17, 2027. Getting to the Meeting: Hotel’s Address: Omni Nashville Hotel – 250 Rep. John Lewis Way S, Nashville, TN 37203 By car: See here for directions. The Omni Nashville offers valet parking, self parking options are available nearby. The overnight valet is between $60 – $75 and the daily valet parking rate is between $32 – $45 Plus Tax for up to 4 hours. Over 4 hours is $60 plus tax. Guests leaving their vehicle with valet after 6 PM CST on day of checkout will incur an additional overnight charge plus tax. By plane: The closest airport is Nashville International Airport (BNA), which is about 20 minutes drive from the hotel. For more details on directions and transportation: omnihotels.com/hotels/nashville/property-details/directions Back to top Registration Rates Attendee TypeEarly-Bird thru 1/15/27After 1/15/27Member$1,145$1,345Non-Member$1,745$1,945First-time Attendee$1,045$1,245Academic/Gov’t Member$945$1,145Student Member$745$745Student Member VirtualFreeFreeSingle Day Pass*$675$675 * Meals are not included with single day registration. Please purchase guest meal tickets if you are planning to attend conference meals. Please note: in person registration will close Friday, February 5, 2027. At-the-door tickets will be increased by $100. Back to top Thank You to Our Planning Committee Nilton Simões (Chair), Ben Allison, Erica Carter, Hadley Dreibelbis, Brendan Kehoe, Guy Rub, and Robin Warren. Back to top Sponsorship Interested in sponsoring the 2027 Midwinter Meeting? Our packages offer a variety of benefits and marketing opportunities to fit different budget sizes. Explore our sponsorship & marketing opportunities here. If you are interested in sponsoring, please contact Programs Manager Jennifer McGhee. Back to top CLE The Copyright Society is an accredited provider in California, New York, and Pennsylvania. MCLE Credits will be available for those jurisdictions, and requests for credit in other jurisdictions may be made when registering. While credit in other jurisdictions is not guaranteed, Copyright Society staff will submit applications for accreditation and notify attorneys upon approval. This intermediate program is appropriate for both newly admitted and experienced attorneys. Total minutes of instruction: 360 minutes. For more information about CLE, please access copyrightsociety.org/mw27-cle. Please email cle@copyrightsociety.org for CLE related questions. Back to top Useful Links Sponsorship & Marketing Opportunities Volunteer Opportunities Financial Aid CLE FAQ Cancellation Policy Back to top Agenda 2/11 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm Registration Desk Open Grab your conference badge and goodies! Copyright Society staff and volunteers will be available to answer any questions. 2/11 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm Copyright Society Meetings 2/11 6:00 pm – 6:30 pm 5th Avenue Pre-Function Space, Omni Nashville Hotel (2nd Floor) First-Time Attendee Reception Join us for a special mixer welcoming our first-time attendees before the Welcome Reception! All are welcome. Generously sponsored by 2/11 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm 5th Avenue Pre-Function Space, Omni Nashville Hotel (2nd Floor) Welcome Reception Join Copyright Society members and guests for cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and networking. The welcome reception is included in your registration fee and guest tickets are available for purchase. Generously sponsored by 2/11 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm Various – Nashville Optional Dine-Arounds Connect with fellow conference attendees and experience local Nashvlle flavors at select restaurants around the city. Stay tuned for details and reservation options! 2/12 7:00 am – 2:00 pm 5th Avenue Pre-Function Space, Omni Nashville Hotel (2nd Floor) Registration Desk Open Grab your conference badge and goodies! Copyright Society staff and volunteers will be available to answer any questions. 2/12 7:00 am – 8:30 am Legends Ballroom E-G, Omni Nashville Hotel (2nd Floor) Breakfast Buffet 2/12 8:45 am – 9:00 am Legends Ballroom A-D, Omni Nashville Hotel (2nd Floor) Welcome Remarks 2/12 9:00 am – 10:00 am Legends Ballroom A-D, Omni Nashville Hotel (2nd Floor) 9 to 5: The Working Life of a Song 2/12 10:00 am – 10:15 am 15-Minute Coffee Break 2/12 10:20 am – 11:20 am Legends Ballroom A-D, Omni Nashville Hotel (2nd Floor) YOU BOUGHT THE GAME. WHAT DID YOU GET? Copyright, Licensing and Ownership in the Digital Games Economy What does it mean to “buy” a video game when the transaction may give the player a license rather than ownership of a copy? As games move from discs and cartridges to downloads, cloud platforms, live services, and server-dependent experiences, the distinction between owning and accessing copyrighted content is becoming increasingly consequential. Recent disputes over digital game purchases have brought new attention to that divide, but the copyright questions extend well beyond the checkout screen. This panel will use the modern video game as a lens through which to examine how copyright operates in an industry where code, visual art, music, characters, player-created content, and licensed assets converge in a single experience. The discussion will consider the relationship between ownership and licensing in digital distribution; first sale and the ability to transfer or preserve games; technological protection measures and circumvention; and the challenges of protecting individual game elements when functionality, idea, and expression often overlap. Bringing together industry, copyright, and player or preservation perspectives, the panel will ask whether copyright doctrines developed around identifiable works and copies map comfortably onto games that are continuously updated, licensed, and sometimes dependent on platforms or servers for their continued existence — and what those tensions mean for developers, rightsholders, players, and the future of interactive works. 2/12 11:20 am – 11:35 am 15-Minute Break 2/12 11:40 am – 12:40 pm Legends Ballroom A-D, Omni Nashville Hotel (2nd Floor) Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene: Copyright, Identity, and Emerging NIL Protections Post-ELVIS Act As the commercial value of names, images, likenesses, voices, and other indicia of identity continues to grow, courts, legislatures, rights holders and businesses are navigating increasingly complex questions at the intersection of copyright law and right of publicity statutes. Since Tennessee’s ELVIS Act took effect in 2024, it has become one of the most closely watched efforts to address unauthorized voice replication and other uses of personal identity in the digital marketplace. This panel will explore the evolving relationship between copyright and identity-based rights, examining where these legal frameworks overlap, diverge, and leave gaps in protection. Panelists representing legal, academic and rights management perspectives will discuss licensing and enforcement strategies, early lessons from the ELVIS Act’s implementation, the vulnerability of right of publicity statutes, including the ELVIS Act, to copyright preemption under Section 301, the impact of synthetic media and genAI on the commercial value and exploitation of NIL rights, and what emerging legislation may signal for the future of identity-based rights. 2/12 12:40 pm – 2:00 pm Legends Ballroom E-G, Omni Nashville Hotel (2nd Floor) Lunch Buffet 2/12 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Country Music Hall of Fame, 222 Rep. John Lewis Way S, Nashville, TN 37203 Activity: Country Music Hall of Fame Experience Enjoy a private songwriter’s experience with the CMHOF’s newest program Wayon’s Way. Waylon’s Way is a backstage look at the defiant Outlaw years in country music, with stories and songs from Carter and Barny Robertson, who played and sang alongside Waylon Jennings. From the tour bus to the studio and stage, this program transports audiences to the 1970s, to the Outlaw scene in Tennessee, Texas, and in-between. Experience these rowdy, creative years as shared by Barny and Carter Robertson. This awesome program includes admission to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. From 2:00-3:00pm, you’ll experience Waylon’s Way. Then, after the experience, explore the rest of the museum at your own pace. The Country Music Hall of Fame is attached to the Omni Nashville, just down the hall from the conference registration desk. Limited to 60 people. Ticket price: $80 2/12 2:45 pm – 5:00 pm 500 West End Ave, Nashville, TN 37203 Activity: Tour of the Parthenon Step inside the world’s only full-scale replica of the ancient Parthenon in Athens with a guided tour. This iconic Nashville landmark features art and history galleries, casts of the original Parthenon Marbles, and a towering 42-foot statue of Athena. Guided tour takes approximately 45-minutes and group will have time to explore on their own after. Bus departs at 2:45pm for a 15-minute drive. Limited to 40 people. Ticket price $45. 2/12 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm Lower Level, 119 3rd Ave S, Nashville, TN 37201 Activity: Johnny Cash Museum Take a self-guided tour of the official Johnny Cash Museum. Explore the chronicles of Cash’s life, from his early years through the Air Force and his rise to fame. The Museum was founded by personal friends Shannon and Bill Miller, who used their personal collection and artifacts to restore the House of Cash in a new location and built the Museum in 2013. Group will walk approximately 10 minutes to the museum. Limited to 50 people. Ticket price $30. 2/12 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm Frist Art Museum 919 Broadway Nashville, TN 37203 Activity: Docent-led art and architecture tour of the Frist Museum Enjoy a docent-led tour of the Frist Museum’s vast collection of art and get an inside glimpse of the historic building. Occupying Nashville’s former main post office building, the Frist is a 124,400-square-foot facility with more than 45,000 square feet of combined exhibition and public space. The city’s treasured art deco structure was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The exhibit on display in February 2027 will be The Great Mughals: Art, Architecture, and Opulence, celebrating the breathtaking art and cosmopolitan culture of the Mughal court’s golden age (1560-1660) during the reigns of its most famous emperors: Akbar, his son Jahangir, and grandson Shah Jahan. Tour is limited to 60 people. Ticket price $45. Group will gather at 3:00pm and walk approximately 15-minutes to the Frist Museum. 2/12 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Dinner Reception at the National Museum of African American Music 2/13 7:00 am – 1:00 pm Fifth Avenue Pre-Function Space, Omni Nashville (2nd Fl) Registration Desk Open Grab your conference badge and goodies! Copyright Society staff and volunteers will be available to answer any questions. 2/13 7:00 am – 8:30 am Legends Ballroom E-G, Omni Nashville Hotel (2nd Floor) Breakfast Buffet 2/13 8:45 am – 9:00 am Legends Ballroom A-D, Omni Nashville Hotel (2nd Floor) Welcome Remarks 2/13 9:00 am – 10:00 am Legends Ballroom A-D, Omni Nashville Hotel (2nd Floor) Panel Session TBD 2/13 10:00 am – 10:20 am 20-Minute Coffee Break 2/13 10:20 am – 10:30 am Legends Ballroom A-D, Omni Nashville Hotel (2nd Floor) Photo Contest Awards Presentation 2/13 10:30 am – 11:30 am Legends Ballroom A-D, Omni Nashville Hotel (2nd Floor) The Midwinter Blues: Black Music, Ownership, and the Copyright Divide How has copyright law contributed to the experience of Black music creators historically? The panel will explore this question through examples of the application of copyright to the blues in the early part of the twentieth century. Blues is one of the most important and distinctively American musical forms, and an important element in jazz, country music, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll. Copyright doctrines were originally formed in relation to literary texts and are an uneasy fit for music, even in a world where sheet music was the primary form of fixed musical creation and reproduction. The blues came to commercial prominence with the advent of the recording industry, and is a musical tradition based on borrowing and improvisatory practices. Black creators have made an outsize contribution of talent toward America’s music culture, but have received a comparatively small portion of its rewards. How have copyright’s assumptions failed to be true for Black music? Have copyright’s doctrines of fixation, required formalities, and termination requirements contributed to inequitable allocation of copyright rewards? How have industry norms and contract traditions affected Black creators? What elements of Black creative experience have changed in the contemporary music economy—and what have not? The panel will include a contemporary artist’s perspective, a music business perspective, and the perspective of a scholar on what has changed and why. Finally, the panel will approach the question What would meaningful ownership mean in today’s music industry? Is it ownership of the copyright? Attribution? Bargaining power? What contributes most to fair participation in future value? Are the structural problems fundamentally different today, or have some of them simply taken new forms? 2/13 11:30 am – 11:50 am 20-Minute Coffee Break 2/13 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Legends Ballroom A-D, Omni Nashville Hotel (2nd Floor) AI Training, Market Dilution, and the Future of Fair Use Generative AI models are trained on enormous quantities of data, much of it protected by copyright. Whether developers may use copyrighted works for training without authorization has become one of the central questions in copyright law, generating well over 100 lawsuits in the United States alone. In May 2025, the U.S. Copyright Office released a pre-publication version of its report on “Generative AI Training.” It concluded that courts assessing fair use should consider a form of market harm it called “market dilution.” Unlike traditional cases, where a secondary use might substitute the demand for the plaintiff’s copyrighted work, market dilution can occur when AI systems generate vast quantities of new works that compete with the kinds of works on which they were trained. The resulting flood of competing content, the Office reasoned, may reduce sales and, more broadly, dilute the value of human authorship. Two months later, in Kadrey v. Meta, Judge Chhabria famously substantially embraced the Copyright Office’s market-dilution theory, albeit in dicta. Just two days earlier, however, Judge Alsup had implicitly rejected a similar argument in Bartz v. Anthropic. At the international level, debates around market dilution have appeared in copyright discourse in many countries, including South Korea, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany. Market dilution has thus emerged as one of copyright owners’ most potentially powerful responses to the fair-use defense, but also one of the most controversial. This panel will explore whether market dilution fits within the fair-use doctrine, what evidence would be necessary to establish it, how courts should distinguish cognizable copyright harm from ordinary competition, and what accepting or rejecting the theory would mean for creators, AI developers, and the future of copyright markets. Back to top Thank You Sponsors! Platinum Sponsor Sheppard Mullin is a top AmLaw 50 firm with 1,200+ lawyers in 16 offices worldwide. Its acclaimed Entertainment, Technology, and Advertising practice delivers top-tier legal service and sophisticated solutions, recognized by industry leaders. Gold Sponsors Bronze Sponsor Interested in seeing your name in lights? Consider supporting our work as a sponsor! Back to top Tickets Register Now Add Extras × 2027 Midwinter Meeting February 11, 2027 · Omni Nashville Hotel Save & finish later ← Add More Tickets Add tickets from the left to get started. Attendee Details Back Next × Add Extras — 2027 Midwinter Meeting February 11, 2027 · Omni Nashville Hotel ← Add More Items Add an item and click on it to fill out details. Details View Cancellation Policy
