Legal Summit | Folk Alliance International 2026 Conference

The Legal Summit, a partnership with the American Bar Association and FAI, will take place on Friday, January 23, 2026 during the Folk Alliance International Conference. The in-depth legal sessions are open to all conference attendees as well as attorneys looking to fulfill their CLE requirements in a unique environment.

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Examples of in-depth topics available during this time:

‍AI is increasingly a part of our lives from everyday google prompts to personal assistants. For producers and songwriters AI tools are available to help develop musical ideas, musical tracks, beats and even full song demos. The Copyright Office and US courts agree that works generated entirely by AI are not eligible for registration, but what happens when AI is used as a tool in the creative process? This panel will explore where the line may be drawn for AI-assisted works, what strategies creators and their counsel can use when registering copyrights, and how to navigate emerging challenges in this evolving area of law and music registration.

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MANAGE THIS! – Taking Charge and Taking It for The Team
Friday, Waterbury, 11:15am-12:15pm

As the music industry continues to evolve, the responsibilities of music managers change and expand as well. This panel will discuss standard (and not-so-standard) terms of management agreements, best practices for both artists and managers to foster healthy business relationships, the lawyer’s role in negotiating contracts and mediating artist/management disputes, and the potential red flags to avoid.

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Legal Summit Fireside Chat with Special Guest
Friday, Waterbury, 12:30pm-1:00pm

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BRANDING THE BAND: Trademarks for Performing and Recording Artists.
Friday, Waterbury 2:00pm-3:00pm

Trademarks are valuable assets for musicians. A musician’s name, band name, or logo are trademarks. These trademarks are a signiﬁcant asset of the musician. They establish and identify the musician’s brand, including its sound, appearance, discography, song catalog, and history. It is an asset that can be protected and exploited for all of the musician’s career and beyond and can be licensed or sold so the musician’s brand can continue. The panel will define trademarks, discuss the value of marks to musicians, recommend ways to protect, and police trademarks and avoid disputes when the trademark is used by an ensemble of two or more musicians.

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The Lawyer’s Role in Navigating Opportunities, Risks, and Working with the Artist Team
Friday, Waterbury, 3:15pm-4:15pm

‍What is the role of an attorney in an artist’s career and how does he/she most effectively work directly with an artist and other team members? Sometimes lawyers come on early in an artist’s career, and, at other times, later in the process. There are legal issues that should be explored even before an artist has a recording and/or publishing contract—for instance, contracts with other professionals, band agreements, and copyright or trademark issues. This panel will look at the role of an attorney through the eyes of an artist, manager, and agent and how an artists can get effective and affordable representation from the very beginning through potentially great success.

*All attorneys registering for the legal summit have access to the full conference programming.

Discount code for attorneys registering for the conference: LegalSummit26

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