The Kernochan Center for Law, Media and the Arts was established to contribute to a broader understanding of the legal aspects of creative works of authorship, including their dissemination and use.
Open Now: Hon. William C. Conner Writing Competition
The New York Intellectual Property Law Association (NYIPLA) presents the Honorable William Conner Writing Competition. The competition was established to recognize exceptionally written papers that are submitted by law students and is presented each year at the Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner.
For the Conner Writing Competition submission requirements, please see this NYIPLA-hosted PDF. The Winner will receive a cash award of $3,000.00 and the Runner-up will receive a cash award of $2,000.00. The deadline is March 6, 2026. For past winners, please visit the competition's main page.
From Our Friends at the Copyright Center
On December 11 from 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm ET, the Copyright Society will hold a discussion on VARA and Street Art: A Spectrum of Chaos. This program will examine developments under VARA since 5Pointz, protection and valuation issues respecting street art, and artists’ rights of attribution and integrity.
The event will be held in person at Herrick Feinstein’s office in New York in two rooms, the main room and an overflow space, though there is also a virtual option. Lunch will be provided. For tickets, please register with the Copyright Society.
Symposium - Deepfakes: In Search of Global Solutions
On Friday, October 24, 2025, in collaboration with the Columbia-Sorbonne Alliance, the Kernochan Center's annual symposium examined the problems created by AI-generated deepfakes and analyzed domestic and international IP laws in search of potential solutions. Scholars and industry leaders from the United States, the European Union, and the Commonwealth considered the adequacy of current IP frameworks to address deepfakes, the role of transparency obligations, and potential enforcement and liability mechanisms.
Video will be available within a few weeks.
Fall 2025 Kernochan Center Events
The Kernochan Center is proud of our Fall 2025 programming, and looks forward to providing more interesting events in the coming semester!
37th Annual Horace S. Manges Lecture - Video Available
On March 24, Prof. Peter Menell of UC Berkeley Law School delivered the 37th Annual Horace S. Manges Lecture, "On the Devolution of Copyright Scholarship," at 6:15 PM at Columbia Law School.
Peter Menell is the Koret Professor of Law at UC Berkeley School of Law, co-founder and Director of the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology, and co-founder and Faculty Director of the Berkeley Judicial Institute. He earned his S.B. at MIT, Ph.D. in economics at Stanford University, and J.D. from Harvard Law School before clerking for Judge Jon O. Newman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He joined the Berkeley Law faculty in 1990. Professor Menell’s research and teaching span intellectual property across the technology and entertainment fields, as well as environmental law and policy, property law, law and economics, and judiciary reform. He has authored more than 100 articles and 15 books, including leading casebooks, intellectual property treatises, and research handbooks. Since 1998, Professor Menell has organized more than 60 intellectual property education programs in conjunction with the Federal Judicial Center, including an annual four-day program on “Intellectual Property in the Digital Age.”
The Visual Arts Infringement Database
On Monday, March 3, Megan Noh, partner at Pryor Cashman LLP, introduced the launch of the Visual Arts Infringement Database, a resource that will illuminate issues and cases in visual arts infringement for students, lawyers, and artists alike. The Visual Arts Infringement Database is made possible by the generosity of Arnold D. Burke '55.