FAQ

The creative industries are one of the largest job creators in the country. We have the largest Media and Entertainment industry worldwide that generates over $500 billion annually. Every year we lose at a minimum an estimated $50 billion a year on the low end, to intellectual property theft. Your support of the Artists Rights Coalition helps us in the fight to strengthen laws in the United States that protect our nation’s most valuable resources: our creativity and innovation.

In our legal system, every case wrongly decided, involving the rights artists hold in their personage and their creations, has the ability to set dangerous precedents for generations to come. Access to high quality, affordable representation for every creative individual is essential to shape the course of legal precedents for the industry as a whole. Even representation that may financially benefit one of your competitors, will in the long run help foster an environment where infringing artistic content costs the infringer more than he/ she will gain through such illegal conduct. As the system stands, piracy is profitable, and rarely prosecuted, so we must all stand together to stop these practices, or we will lose ground in key areas that affect all artists, regardless of their level of success.

 Absolutely! These are some of our most meaningful donations, and we appreciate your efforts. We will be holding an annual concert and benefit auction in Santa Barbara, California at a date to be determined. Should you wish to donate visual art, hosting services, or a live performance for the concert, we are certain that we can find a place for your unique talents.

Please reach out to chairperson@artistsrightscoalition.org for more information.

The ARC is a great way to gain exposure to the world of media and entertainment through internships in the practice of Intellectual Property Law. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, so please apply early for the best chance of acceptance. Since different law schools have different credit requirements, our General Counsel will need to speak directly to your law school’s Career Services department or Academic Dean to determine if credit will be awarded. In the alternative, if academic credit is not available, we offer our interns a stipend of $12.00 per hour. All of our internships can be accepted on a full or part time basis depending upon academic and other commitments. 

Many organizations are making wonderful strides in the fight to secure artists rights. At the Artists Rights Coalition, we feel we are filling two important niches where artists are currently underserved.

1)    We focus on the infringement of artist’s works, and more specifically, working within the framework of the laws of the Federal Copyright Act. The onslaught of theft of intellectual property is in our purview, and we believe it to be one of the greatest threats to the creative community. Up until now, it has been nearly impossible for artists without highly compensated, dedicated representation to devote enough time to stem the ever rising tide of infringements. We hope to change that for the benefit of all artists, not just those who can afford it. The termination issue continues to be a huge problem, as does the question presently winding its way through the courts, that asks for a clear definition of a work for hire.

2)    For public personalities, there is currently no Federal Right of Publicity, and state’s laws make up a confusing, and incomplete patchwork of protection. Here at the ARC, we seek to streamline and strengthen these protections to stop the unauthorized exploitation of artist’s personas. We seek to secure these rights through effective lobbying to better serve those that live in the public eye as well as their families. This will begin with our organization’s push for a federally recognized Right of Publicity, which will give celebrities and other persons in the public eye more control over the use of their image by third parties who seek to profit from it.