New York City is home to renowned cultural institutions and creative artists and is the headquarters of major media and entertainment companies. There is also a substantial group of attorneys - including many Columbia Law School graduates - and law firms that specialize in legal problems involving these entities.

With such resources at hand, Columbia's 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.

The Center has encouraged the development of instruction at the Law School in topics such as intellectual property, copyright, trademarks, the regulation of electronic media, and problems arising from new communications technologies.

In addition to basic courses covering various aspects of intellectual property, there are special seminars in intellectual property contracts, law and the music industry, law and the visual arts, law and the theatre, computer law, sports law, and international aspects of intellectual property, and a Clinical Seminar in Law and the Arts. The Center also works with other divisions of the University, such as the School of the Arts and the Graduate School of Business, in seminars on topics in areas of mutual interest.

The Columbia Journal of Law & the Arts is devoted to informing the public about legal issues that relate to arts, entertainment, media and new technologies.

2009 - Kernochan Center Fellowship Available:

The Kernochan Center for Law, Media and the Arts at Columbia Law School announces the creation of a fellowship program to support future legal academics interested in the field of copyright and authors’ rights. Fellows will have the opportunity to spend one to two years in residence at Columbia Law School . They will spend approximately half of their time working on their own research, and the other half working with members of the Columbia Law School IP community on Kernochan Center projects, e.g., studies undertaken by the Center’s Program for Intellectual Property Studies and Law Reform, organizing conferences and workshops, etc. It is expected that fellows will produce an independent work of scholarship that will position them to enter the job market for full-time academic employment.

Fellows will receive a stipend of approximately $50,000 plus benefits, eligibility for subsidized housing, and space to work at the law school. In the event that subsidized housing is unavailable, fellows will receive a housing allowance.

The first fellowship will commence in January 2008. To apply, please send a cover letter, resume, writing sample, proposal for scholarly research (5-8 pages), two letters of recommendation and a list of additional references by November 15, 2007 to:

June M. Besek
Executive Director
Kernochan Center for Law, Media and the Arts
Columbia Law School
435 West 116 th Street
New York , NY 10027