Media

The firm has represented the news media in litigation involving defamation, access to documents and meetings, privacy rights, and the like. The firm is also active in the enforcement of rights of publicity and issues arising from the commercial use of celebrity names and likenesses of many historical figures.

In addition to litigation, the Media Practice Group provides counseling on questions arising under the Access to Public Records Act, the Open Door Law, the Freedom of Information Act, copyright law, and local newsrack and solicitation ordinances. We assist reporters and photographers in resisting subpoenas from civil and criminal litigants who seek unpublished journalistic work product (such as notes, photographs, and -out-takes -). We provide prepublication and prebroadcast review of news stories and books and advise clients in connection with publishing agreements for books, works of art, music, and computer software.

Attorneys from the group have made presentations on defamation, access, and copyright issues to a variety of media and law groups, including seminars organized by the United States Information Agency for journalists in Brazil and the Bahamas. We also present newsroom seminars to provide practical advice to reporters and editors on legal issues they confront in news-gathering.

For several years, we have prepared the survey of Indiana law for the Libel Defense Resource Center's 50 State Survey of Current Developments in Media Libel Law. Our firm authored the Indiana section of Tapping Officials - Secrets: A State Open Government Compendium, published by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

Practice within our media practice group include:

• Access to Public Records Act
• Advertising Content
• Buy-Sell Agreements
• Cable Television
• Defamation
• Fair Use
• FCC Regulation
• First Amendment
• Freedom of Information Act
• Indiana Open Door Law
• Invasion of Privacy
• Labor Negotiations and Collective Bargaining
• Local Marketing Agreements
• Newsrack Ordinances
• Prepublication and Prebroadcast Review
• Prior Restraints
• Protection of Copyrights
• Protection of Journalistic Work Product
• Public Broadcasting
• Publishing Agreements
• Right of Publicity
• Subpoena Defense