Stites & Harbison, PLLC

Stites & Harbison attorneys have advised clients in many aspects of the media and entertainment industries.

They have negotiated contracts within all aspects of the music industry, creating some unique relationships between the parties in the new digital era, including joint ventures between artists and record labels, and assisting independent artists with securing financial support from non-traditional sources.

Attorneys in the firm have advised clients of all sizes, from individual investors in a start-up music publishing company to multi-million dollar corporations underwriting a major music festival. They also regularly work with corporate and other clients who are seeking to obtain licenses from owners of musical compositions. Attorneys at Stites & Harbison who practice in this area have extensive experience in copyright and trademark law, since intellectual property is at the center of any entertainment client's assets.

The firm's intellectual property attorneys also represent a number of authors, including Liz Curtis Higgs, Vicki Lenz and Glenn Kleier and various prominent entertainers.

Media/First Amendment

Stites & Harbison's attorneys provide counsel and advocacy for media clients and businesses regarding First Amendment and related matters. In this capacity, the firm's attorneys regularly:

• Advise news directors, producers, or reporters about methods to obtain stories (such as use of hidden cameras and microphones, trespass considerations, Kentucky's Open Records Act and copyright infringement)
• Review subpoenas and provide advice regarding responses, including opposition to subpoenas when warranted
• Advise news directors, producers, or reporters about story content (including reviewing scripts, sometimes within minutes of airing)
• Respond to correspondence from disgruntled viewers
• Assist in obtaining access to court records and proceedings; and,
• Provide seminars for news directors, reporters, and producers regarding legal topics of interest, such as recent cases involving the media, important defamation cases, copyright infringement and the like.

In addition, the firm's attorneys have:

• Successfully prosecuted an appeal of an unfavorable libel judgment
• Advised management concerning commercial free speech issues in proposed advertising; and,
• Defended a claim for copyright infringement against a media defendant.

The firm's media clients include or have included Belo Corp. and its television station subsidiary, Belo Kentucky, Inc. (WHAS-TV), the Wall Street Journal and the CBS Television Network.

In addition to handling media-related matters, the firm has provided Belo Corp. and other media companies with more traditional corporate services. For example, the firm's attorneys assisted Belo with state tax and real property issues applicable to Belo's acquisition of the Messenger-Inquirer in Owensboro, Ky. The firm provides regular employment law advice and representation concerning all levels of regional employment and real property matters, such as a street closing and obtaining zoning variances for the siting of new broadcast towers for several media clients.