Elizabeth T. Russell is the founder of Russell Law, a law office in Madison, Wisconsin which provides "Legal Services for Creative People." She specializes in entertainment and copyright law, trademark enforcement, and creative services consultation for artists, authors, musicians, theater companies and other people engaged in creative enterprises in Madison and greater Wisconsin.
In this presentation, attorney Elizabeth Russell discusses how to build and maintain a web presence, with advice geared especially to artists and musicians who may need to use copyrighted works on their sites. She walks the audience through what today's internet users expect from a website, the difference between patents, trademarks and copyright, and how to go about legally using copyrighted material on your website .
Elizabeth Russell, an arts attorney based in Madison, WI, shares her opinions on several matters affecting the music and arts world today – the complicated question of what constitutes fair use under current copyright law, what students interested in arts law should know, and whether current copyright law sufficiently addresses the realities of current technology and usage. She also offers advice on when to find a lawyer, what a manager and lawyer do for an artist, and how to prepare for a career in arts and entertainment law.
Panelists Jeanette Smith, Benjie Hughes, Elizabeth T. Russell, and moderator Matt Boresi share their experiences creating and operating their websites, discussing the mistakes they’ve made and the ways in which their sites have benefited their respective businesses. Related topics include hiring a web development team, maintaining websites and blogs, and protecting copyrighted material and privacy on the internet.
Panelists Beth Russell, Jeanette Smith, and Benjie Hughes discuss the evolution of the internet and the inevitable migration to the mobile phone format. They also point out that the archiving technology currently available on search engines makes nearly all internet content “permanent.”
Elizabeth Russell, an arts attorney based in Madison, WI, briefly explains how to copyright a work of art you have produced, and why the act of creating it can frequently include an automatic copyright.
Attorney Elizabeth Russell explains how the fair use exception to copyright law works, and why identifying whether a specific case is actually "fair use" is much more complicated than you think.
In this excerpt from a presentation given at the SEA 2008 conference, attorney Elizabeth Russell explains best practices for building a website, from the point of view of how consumers today expect to use a site. She discusses the importance of timeliness, relevance, interactivity, and how to gear your message to the audience you intend to capture.
Panelists Beth Russell, Jeanette Smith, and Benjie Hughes define content management and describe some of the tools that are currently available to modify website content without the assistance of a developer.
Elizabeth Russell, an arts attorney based in Madison, WI, explains how and why architectural works can be copyrighted, and explores some of the special concerns surrounding this kind of copyright.
In this excerpt from a presentation given at the SEA 2008 conference, attorney Elizabeth Russell explains the difference between copyright, trademark and patents in basic terms, and some of the subtypes of these categories that are of special interest to people in the arts.
Panelists Beth Russell, Jeanette Smith, and Benjie Hughes explain the various functions of an artist’s website, from creating a point of contact with customers to exhibiting products and services.
Elizabeth Russell, an arts attorney based in Madison, WI, discusses her recent book on copyright and copyright disputes in the arts, “Art Law Conversations.”
In this excerpt from a presentation given at the SEA 2008 conference, attorney Elizabeth Russell explains how to get permission to use various types of copyrighted works on your website, and why knowing what permissions you need is not always perfectly straightforward.
Panelists Beth Russell, Jeanette Smith, and Benjie Hughes outline some of the important factors to consider before beginning the process of creating a website. They discuss methods for choosing a design style based on your target audience, choosing a domain name for the site, maintaining copyright ownership of the content, and creating a clear call to action, as well as search engine optimization, meta-tagging, and other technical concerns.
In this excerpt from a presentation given at the SEA 2008 conference, attorney Elizabeth Russell explains the six discrete right that are included under the general heading of "copyright," and gives examples of how each might be used in practice. She goes into detail as to the difference between, for example, a sync license and a master use license, introduces the audience to the numerous possibilities contained in the simple list of six rights, and speaks in specific terms about the copyright exceptions allotted to musical works and what these exceptions mean for people who wish to use music on their website.
Panelists Beth Russell, Jeanette Smith, and Benjie Hughes offer advice on assembling an effective team from the vast pool of web designers, developers and hosting companies that offer their services to small businesses and individuals, and suggest some criteria such as site complexity, budget, and maintenance needs to aid in the decision-making process.
Attorney Elizabeth Russell offers some advice for law students who intend to enter the entertainment or arts law field, and explains what she sees as the difference between entertainment law (practiced in New York, Los Angeles, etc) and arts law (practiced in areas where the entertainment industry is not a major player).
In this excerpt from a presentation given at the SEA 2008 conference, attorney Elizabeth Russell discusses why it's important to protect your trademark once you establish it.
Panelists Beth Russell, Jeanette Smith, and Benjie Hughes discuss the pros and cons of handling website creation and maintenance. Russell, who currently maintains her own sites using a hosting company’s template, explains how to determine whether or not this method may be suitable for others. The panelists also share their experiences using software such as Dreamweaver and Adobe Contribute.
Elizabeth Russell, an arts attorney based in Madison, WI, explains the duties of managers and attorneys in taking care of the business side of an artist’s career.
