The Art & Evaluation of NFTs: Virtual Panel Discussion at Digital Hollywood Spring (5/18/21)

On May 18th, 2021 Steven Masur moderated a virtual panel at Digital Hollywood Spring 2021 discussing the topic “The Art & Evaluation of NFT”.

NFT as a significant category of “Collectable Art,” while still in an “Arguable” stage of development, has nonetheless quickly established itself as the next real thing. It is hard to argue with the $69.3 Million sale at Christie’s of “Beeple’s” “EVERYDAYS.” Or the $7.5 Million for “CryptoPunk #7804” or the $6.66 Million for “CROSSROAD.” This panel includes a cutting-edge group of experts in the field of NFT Art. As a group, they have been a part of the explosion and impact of NFT Art from both the artistic and creative as well as NFT as a flourishing sector of the “Art Market.” Watch the full panel discussion on Vimeo here.

Moderator

Steven Masur

Speakers

The Innovative Economy – An Online Educational Series

By: Steve Masur

Are you ready to mainstream the Crypto Industry? Steve Masur is an expert on the online educational series called The Innovative Economy to discuss the legal aspects of cryptocurrency.

The series will air from January 28th- February 7th. Steve is set to air on January 31st, Day 4 of the show. Sign up here to watch this online educational series and listen to the interview.

Thanks for signing up and see you online!

CES Digital Hollywood 2020

By: Steve Masur

Join us on January 6th at the Aria Resort & Casino (9:00 AM PST) for Digital Hollywood CES 2020 to discuss the Top Technology and Entertainment Companies in AR/VR/XR.

9-10 AM January 6

Aria Resort and Casino, Level 3, Juniper 4

About the Panel:

The AR/VR/XR industries might be understood as V/X on all Platforms: Social Media – Smartphone – Computing, TV/Movies, and Live Experiences. From visual communications, advertising, news, retail data and vertical specialties to cinematic experiences, this is the world that surrounds us.

Kristina Serafim, Director, Verizon Ventures
Marcie Jastrow, SVP of Immersive Media, Technicolor Experience Center
Sarah Vick, Head of Business Development, Intel Studios
Neil Parris, AR / VR, Entertainment Partnerships Lead, Google
Steven Masur, Moderator

REGISTER TO ATTEND

 

About the Speakers:

  • Steven Masur has over 24 years of experience advising emerging and established businesses on new opportunities and business challenges. He focuses his practice on corporate finance, M&A, intellectual property, entertainment, emerging businesses, and strategic guidance. Steve has extensive experience in angel and venture capital finance, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and cross-border transactions in Europe and Asia. He is passionate about helping new businesses plan a path to success, and helping older businesses bridge the gap to new markets. Steve brings a unique mix of legal, business, and strategic experience to bear on client matters. He has counseled enterprise level clients including Shazam, Virgin Mobile, Liberty Media, Yamaha, Nielsen Buzzmetrics, Bob Vila and Conde Nast Publications in corporate, digital media, and new business matters. He has also helped emerging businesses in a wide variety of sectors, and is especially knowledgeable in media, entertainment, cannabis, blockchain advertising, consumer products, technology, including mobile, games, digital music, social media, augmented and virtual reality, software and hardware. Steve has been recognized as a “Rising Star” and a “Super Lawyer” by Super Lawyers. He serves on a variety of corporate and nonprofit boards and industry associations, and lectures and writes about major issues in venture capital, emerging businesses, entertainment law, technology, and corporate strategy.
  • Kristina Serafim joined Verizon Ventures from Verizon’s Big Data and Artificial Intelligence product team. Prior to Verizon, Kristina was a Director at Intellectual Ventures, where she led investments in machine learning, media, advertising, and gaming technologies. Kristina’s entrepreneurial experience includes co-founding and leading two software companies, from their inception to acquisition. Kristina also spent several years on the strategy and corporate development teams at IBM and at NAGRA Innovations. She received an electrical and mechanical engineering degree from Kettering University and an MBA from Harvard University. Verizon Ventures invests in key areas leading the future of connectivity, with one focus being on immersive entertainment, as demonstrated by its recent investment in holographic display startup Light Field Labs and consumer VR platform The VOID and hologram platform 8i. Kristina can elaborate on the immersive experiences available to consumers today, the importance of seeing AR/VR/MR technologies as an additional advancement of human vision and even how it will integrate into the enterprise.
  • Marcie Jastrow is an industry veteran with over 20 years in the Entertainment business. Currently the SVP of Immersive Media at Technicolor, as well as the Head of the Technicolor Experience Center (TEC), Marcie is dedicated to bringing artists, technologists, and partners together to build the future of immersive media. Since the opening of the TEC in July, 2016, Marcie has consulted on many immersive projects and has provided her insights in dozens of interviews, published articles, and speaking engagements. Focused on igniting VR, AR, and beyond, Marcie sits on several boards including the Interactive Emmys, Periscope, and BAFTA. In 2018, she was honored with the Advanced Imaging Society’s ‘Distinguished Leadership Award’, which recognizes creative, productive and forward-thinking efforts in visual technology and emerging content. Prior to her current role, Marcie was responsible for growing technology and emerging content. Prior to her current role, Marcie was responsible for growing Technicolor’s post-production sales pipeline as SVP of Sales. Before joining Technicolor, she served as EVP of Sales at Laser Pacific, which Technicolor acquired in 2011, as well as SVP of Sales at Modern Video Film for over eight years.
  • Sarah Vick, the Head of Business for Intel Studios, is passionate about evolving the media industry to revolutionize the way we tell stories. Her professional expertise in digital transformation, innovation, and new technology strategy enables her to lead partnership development, portfolio management, and content strategy for the leading immersive media studio. With every production, Vick and her team explore how breaking the fourth wall through volumetric capture and immersive experiences can help us create new and more impactful media experiences. Vick holds a BS in Physics from Stanford University and an MBA from the Sloan School of Management at MIT. She was also a Fulbright Scholar and a Siebel Scholar.
  • Neil Parris leads Google’s AR / VR content efforts across the entertainment vertical, partnering with world-class IP owners and talent to develop and distribute innovative content experiences across Google’s platforms. Before joining the Daydream team, Parris led entertainment partnerships for Google’s Consumer Apps Marketing group and oversaw major content/marketing partnerships with Disney, Warner Bros., Netflix, Fox, ABC, and others. Prior to Google, Parris worked at EQAL, an early pioneer in the YouTube/social/influencer space (later acquired by Everyday Health), Edelman (in their branded entertainment division) and 8+ years in the film business as a creative executive. Parris is a member of the TV Academy and serves on the Digital Strategy Committee. Parris holds a bachelor’s degree from University of Pennsylvania and an MFA in Film / TV Producing from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts’ Peter Stark Program.
  • Michael Ludden is a technologist, futurist, evangelist and product leader who loves to operate on the bleeding edge of what’s possible and is a frequent keynote speaker at events around the world. Currently Principal Augmented Reality Evangelist at Bose, Michael was previously Director of Product at IBM’s Watson Developer Labs & AR/VR Labs, Product/Developer Marketing Manager Lead at Google, Head of Product/Developer Marketing at Samsung and Product/Developer Evangelist at HTC, among other career stops. He has also been involved at various times in development, co-founding startups, tech show hosting, and even cruise-ship singing (don’t ask). As passionate about solving complex real-world problems as he is about Immersive Technologies (AR/VR) and Machine Learning (AI), Michael is also fascinated by all things futurist, and has been continuously involved in the creation of some of the most innovative new products and use cases that exist on the bleeding edge of emerging technology today. Michael has a degree from the University of California at Los Angeles (U.C.L.A.) and is excited to share some exciting insights into the future of our increasingly augmented world.

A2IM Indie Week CLE

By: Steve Masur

On June 17th, 2019, for the 10th anniversary of A2IM Indie Week. Steve Masur moderated and produced a Continuing Learning Education (CLE) series of panels at New York Law School. A2IM Indie Week is a four-day international conference and networking event aimed at maximizing the global impact of Independent music. Indie Week includes keynotes, panels, receptions, exclusive networking sessions, and much more.

How Can Blockchain Technology Help the Music Business?

Moderator

Steven Masur

Speakers

 

Negotiating a Sync Licensing Deal: How Much is Your Music Worth?

Moderator

Lauren Mack, Intellectual Property Attorney, Masur Griffitts + LLP

Speakers

 

The Music Modernization Act: What You Need to Know

Moderator

Jennifer Newman Sharpe, General Counsel & Head of Business Affairs, ONErpm

Speakers

 

A big thank you to the incredible panelists and all of those who joined us!

graphic for the 10th annual montauk music festival

Please Join Us at the Montauk Music Festival

By: Steve Masur

Steve Masur spoke at the Montauk Music Festival on May 17th, 2019.

The Montauk Music Festival (MMF) is a volunteer-run, grassroots live music event designed to celebrate, support, and promote the thriving Montauk music scene while showcasing and stimulating the burgeoning artistic, commercial and pedestrian activity in Montauk.  The festival would not be possible without the generous support by businesses and individuals, who, like the festival organizers, are dedicated to nurturing this vital component of the area’s culture.  MMF is a Montauk Sun Production.

MMF is a four-day musical celebration featuring talented up-and-coming independent artists, set against the backdrop of one of the most idyllic beach communities on the east coast – Montauk, NY. Except for the Opening Party on Thursday night at the Westlake Fish House, it is a FREE event. Over 400 artists boasting a wide variety of musical styles (from alternative, rock, folk, pop, Americana, reggae, blues, jazz, bluegrass, to flamenco, hip-hop, country, and more), will be performing for free in the spirit of sharing original music -through showcases -with audiences and fellow musicians.

For more information and tickets for the festival, please use this link.

security token summit

Steve Masur at Security Token Summit in Bermuda – March 18-19

By: Steve Masur

The first Blockchain Token Association (BTA) Security Token Summit was held in 2018 and started with an open invitation for those involved in the Security Token Industry to come together and make a commitment to work towards building a common framework on the issuance and trading of security tokens. Now, the BTA is grateful to the Government of Bermuda, the Bermuda Business Development Agency (BDA) and Fintech Bermuda for their partnership in the second Security Token Summit taking place March 18-19, 2019. Learn more and register here.

March 18
4:00 pm – 7:30 pm Registration
5:30 pm – 7:30 pm Welcome & Cocktail Reception

March 19
7:30 am Registration Opens
8:00 am Continental Breakfast
8:45 am Summit Welcome / The New Capital Markets Ecosystem Taxonomy
Jeff Pulver, Blockchain Token Association (USA)
Damian Williams, Blockchain Token Association (USA)
9:00 am – 9:30 am Community/”Lighting Round” Introductions 
9:30 am – 9:45 am Bermuda Regulatory Update
Moad Fahmi, Senior Advisor – FinTech, The Bermuda Monetary Authority
9:45 am – 10:30 am International Security Token Regulatory Discussion
Moderated by Joshua Klayman, Founder and Managing Member of Klayman LLC
Keller Fisher, DLT Law Group (USA)
Robin Sosnow, Digital Securities Law Group (USA)
Steve Masur, Masur Griffitts & LLP (USA)
Alan Konevsky, tZERO (USA)
10:30 am – 10:45 am Break
10:45 am – 11:15 am Bermuda Security Token Regulatory Discussion
Moderated by Stan Stalnaker, Chief Strategy Officer, Hub Culture | Ven | Ultra
Chris Garrod, Conyers, Dill & Pearman
Simone Smith-Bean, SBC Corporate Services Limited
Natalie Neto, Walkers
11:15 am – 11:30 am The Industry Need for Interoperability/VTF Overview
Paul Salisbury, BlockchainLabs (New Zealand)
11:30 am – 11:45 pm Fireside Chat with Gabriel Abed, Founder, Bitt (Barbados) with Jeff
Pulver
11:45 AM – 12:05 pm Caribbean Blockchain Alliance: Update
12:05 pm – 12:25 pm tZERO Update TBA, (USA)
12: 30 pm – 1:30 pm Networking/Lunch
1:30 pm – 1:45 pm FinTech Bermuda Update
Major (Ret’d) Allan Wayne B. Smith, ED, MBA, pmsc (Bermuda)
1:45 pm – 3:00 pm Global STO Business Issues (mega session) with contributions from delegates representing: Bermuda, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, United Kingdom, USA
3:00 pm – 3:10 pm Break
3:10 pm – 3:30 pm Spotlight on Bermuda STOs
Matt Gallant, tribeOS (USA)
James Wallace (Canada)

Andres Banuelos, teknei (Mexico)
Joseba Lekube, teknei (Mexico)
3:30 pm – 4:00 pm Fireside Chat Premier of Bermuda, the Hon. E David Burt, JP, MP & Jeff Pulver
4:00 pm – 4:30 pm Presentation of Security Token Protocol Frameworks
Hyperlink Technology (UAE)
Kodebox (South Korea)
4:30 pm – 5:00 pm Show & Tell (Live Demonstrations of Working Solutions in the STO Ecosystem)
Securitize (USA)
Simple ICO (Guatemala)
5:00 pm – 5:30 pm Next Steps in Growing the Industry – Group Discussion
5:30 pm – 6:00 pm Networking/Summit Concludes

March 20 Security Token Unconference

8:00 am – 12:00 pm Security Token Unconference
Topics and Issues will be determined the week of March 18th by the attending community.
8:00 am – 8:30 am Welcome & Claim Your Session
8:30 am – 11:30 am Sessions 
11:30 am – 12:00 pm Wrap Up

This is an International Gathering with Delegates Representing at least 12+ countries including: Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, UAE, UK, USA

CES MG+

CES 2019: Trends in Technology Cause Regulatory Action For Data and Privacy

By: Steve Masur

CES 2019, recently concluded in Las Vegas and Masur Griffitts Avidor LLP was asked to moderate several panels pertaining to intellectual property and virtual reality at the Digital Hollywood event. Serving as the global stage for innovation, CES introduced many new tech products across a variety of industries. Some exciting new devices like the Samsung GEMS-H demonstrated the possibility of futuristic human abilities—creating a complete lower body exoskeleton. Cars were a focal point at the show as well;he Mercedes-Benz CLA 2020 exhibited heart rate monitoring to control temperatures, music and lighting.

Another major trend at CES was products that utilize location and voice-activated services.Voice assistants, with tracking and location services, are able to power features like traffic predictions and restaurant recommendations. Amazon’s Alexa continues to be built into more products, and CES 2019 displayed many newly-Alexa-enabled products such as Jabra’s Elite 85H Headphones and Lenovo’s Smart Tablet.

Although the convenience of location enabled technology allows for more fluid day-to-day functions and potentially faster exchange of information, they introduce a host of privacy concerns and legal ramifications.

In the first week of 2019, Los Angeles prosecutors sued, Weather: The Weather Channel. The nexus of the claim is that the app tracked the whereabouts of its users and sold it to third-party websites for targeted ads. After high-profile conglomerates like Facebook faced major scrutiny for sharing consumer data, this is the newest lawsuit that relates to online consumer privacy. Mike Feuer, the Los Angeles City prosecutor on the case questions, “This case against the operators of the Weather Channel app goes to the core of today’s most fundamental issues: How do we maintain privacy in the digital age?”

One proposed solution comes in the form of a “Do Not Track Option”. In the face of continued privacy breaches, Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, one of privacy’s most vocal advocates, doesn’t have faith in big tech companies to regulate themselves, and he has proposed the Consumer Data Protection Act. The proposed regulation is an amendment to the Federal Trade Commission Act. Senator Wyden writes in his discussion draft that he hopes to “establish requirements and responsibilities for entities that use, store, or share personal information, to protect personal information, and for other purposes.”

The proposed bill calls for big tech companies to submit to the government annual data protection reports, which should outline the measures the companies took to ensure the security of all collected personal information. The “Do Not Track Option” section will allow people to opt-out entirely of having their data sold or shared to third-parties and companies that personalize advertisements. This concept is essentially the same as the Do Not Call Registry that was established by the FTC in 2003, where people were given a choice to opt-out of receiving phone calls from telemarketers. The “Do Not Track Option” seems to match up as the digital age’s edition of that. Senator Wyden also proposes to hire 175 more government staff to regulate the market for private data that may have potentially been sold or transacted between companies who possess the data banks. Finally, to ensure cooperation with his proposed legislation, Senator Wyden has included language that outlines prison sentences of up to 20 years for executives who do not abide by the proposed terms. (You can read Senator Wyden’s one-pager underlying the proposed framework here.)

Although this is a valiant effort to maintain consumer privacy in the digital age, it will be a battle for Senator Wyden to have this bill signed into law. The tech lobby has a powerful influence on federal and state policy. Lobbyists pour massive funds into opposing bills that are not in their favor. Amazon, Microsoft, Uber, Facebook, Google, AT&T, and Verizon previously teamed up to work against the proposed California Consumer Privacy Act. The legislation requires companies to share the data they collect from users and also give users similar opt-out option of having their information sold to the highest bidder. Although this was signed into law several months ago, the tech companies put up a fight, and will likely oppose Senator Wyden’s Consumer Data Protection Act as well.

The future of online data privacy is uncertain, but with continued legislative attempts and investigations, it seems as if big conglomerates are also taking steps to make changes to their privacy practices. Just last week, face with a federal investigation, AT&T said they will stop selling location data and pledged to suspend current deals and terminate all remaining deals pertaining to location data. Given the push for legislation reform, tech companies could potentially see massive fines and other consequences. Ultimately, the revenue generated from selling consumer location data may have to become more transparent. For the present moment, consumers intrigued by the new location service enabled tech products at CES can rest a little more comfortably knowing that there are measures being taken to ensure that they retain privacy and control of their data.

***

We would like to thank Sasha Safavi for his contribution to this article.

sundance fim festival

3LD at Sundance Film Festival 2019

By: Steve Masur

3LD Art & Technology Center artists Victor Morales, Matt Romein and Peter Burr have been selected to showcase their work at Sundance Film Festival as part of the New Frontiers initiative. This curated collection of cutting-edge independent and experimental media works are by creators who are pushing artistic innovation across new mediums that include virtual and augmented reality (VR & AR). Partner, Steve Masur joined our clients at the events in Park City, Utah this year. You can view the full schedule of events at Sundance Film Festival here.

Congratulations to 3LD, Victor Morales, Matt Romein and Peter Burr!

Masur Griffitts trademark registration services

Streamlined Trademark Registration Services

By: Steve Masur

Developing a strong brand identity is difficult, time consuming, and costly, so protecting your trademarks, logos, and distinctive from unfair competition is key to your investment. Streamlined trademark registration services provide our clients with valuable, easy-to-understand reports evaluating trademarks, clearing potentially conflicting trademarks and efficiently preparing a federal trademark application and guide it through to registration. Our trademark team is available to answer any questions you may have.

Services include:

TRADEMARK CLEARANCE

We will provide an evaluative report analyzing the legal strength of a proposed domestic federal trademark and potentially conflicting trademarks that could prevent registration, priced per proposed trademark (word mark or design mark/logo), regardless of the number of classes of goods and services.

FEDERAL TRADEMARK APPLICATIONS

We will prepare a trademark registration application to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that is strategically crafted to capture the broadest exclusivity rights to your trademark and then file and shepherd the application through the grant or refusal of registration.

POST-REGISTRATION AND TRADEMARK MAINTENANCE

After registration, trademark owners have certain ongoing maintenance filings due to the USPTO in order to keep their registrations active. As your trademark attorneys of record, we monitor your portfolio of trademark registrations on our docket and prepare and file these post-registration maintenance filings at your instruction.

graphic for canadian music week

Blockchain and Smart Contracts in The Music Industry: Panel Discussion at Canadian Music Week (05/09/18)

By: Steve Masur

On Wednesday, May 9th from 11:00 AM- 11:50 AM in the Osgoode Ballroom West, Steven Masur is moderating a panel discussing blockchain music applications  and business models in Toronto for Canadian Music Week.

About the Panel

An incorruptible digital ledger of transactions, blockchain has tracked nearly $10 billion of online value, as its useful applications grow exponentially. In part one of this eye-opening session, Billboard correspondent and cryptocurrency enthusiast Karen Bliss interviews ex I Mother Earth frontman Brian Byrne about using exchanges, wallet buying, selling and more. In part two, an expert panel goes deep to look at the potential for revolutionary tracking – via blockchain – of music play and rights revenue down to the last micro-payment.

About Featured Speakers:

Steven Masur has over 24 years of experience advising emerging and established businesses on new opportunities and business challenges, most recently blockchain and cryptocurrency regulation. He focuses his practice on corporate finance, M&A, intellectual property, entertainment, emerging businesses and strategic guidance. Steve has extensive experience in angel and venture capital finance, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and cross-border transactions in Europe and Asia. He is passionate about helping new businesses plan a path to success and helping older businesses bridge the gap to new markets.

Dino Celotti is the COO of European independent distribution and label services company, Membran Entertainment Group Gmbh. In 2016 Dino founded Membran Entertainment Canada to focus on giving Canadian music a direct route to international markets through Membran’s existing worldwide Artist and Label services infrastructure. Shortly after falling down the blockchain rabbit hole, Dino founded “Membran Labs”, an internal R&D division exploring how blockchain might provide solutions for the music industry. Membran Labs is currently working on three projects spanning the ticket industry (“TrebleKey”), payment processing (“Hyperstate”), and artist rewards programs (“Harvest”), on both public and permissioned blockchains.

Jason Robert is co-founder and CEO of HelloSugoi. He launched the world’s first blockchain powered event ticketing platform. He co-founded the popular “Real World Blockchain” meetup and is the founding instructor at Product School’s “Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies” course. Jason has facilitated numerous public speaking engagements on the topic of blockchain and the entertainment industry, including appearances at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, BlockCon, SF Music Tech Summit, XLIVE, and SXSW.

Jesse Grushack is a graduate of Union College with a dual degree in Computer Science and Economics. Jesse entered the music industry at ID&T North America where he spent two months as the managing director of marketing for TomorrowWorld and then as the managing director of Cashless payments at SFX Entertainment conducting research into the future of visitor event identification. At the beginning of 2015, Jesse joined ConsenSys and started working on Ujo Music. Jesse has spoken at conferences and events around the world including SXSW, The Golden Melody Awards in Taiwan, Blockchain Valley in Switzerland, and more. Additionally, Jesse is also a co-creator of Ethereal as he understands the importance of bridging the digital/physical boundaries and providing meaningful experiences.

Ritesh Patel is the Founder and CEO of Ticket Fairy. The Ticket Fairy is a full-stack marketing and analytics solution that helps events companies to increase revenue through greater reach, more data and lowered operational costs.

Brian Byrne is the co-founder and Head of Artist Relations for Musiconomi. Brian has been as a collaborator, founder, speaker and adviser in the blockchain space for the past 3 years. Brian is also known for his work as the ex-lead singer for the multi-platinum Canadian Rock band I Mother Earth.

Karen Bliss is the Canadian correspondent for Billboard and a long-time music trade journalist. Since her teens, her work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Pollstar, Melody Maker, NME, Time, The Toronto Star, and many more. She has interviewed thousands of artists, including Kurt Cobain, Eminem, Eddie Vedder, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Justin Timberlake, Pete Townshend, Liam and Noel Gallagher, Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran, Britney Spears, P!nk, Christina Aguilera, 50 Cent, Shania Twain, Rob Halford, Michael Bublé Bruce Dickinson, and Bryan Adams. In 2013, she was named Music Journalist of the Year at the Canadian Music & Broadcast Industry Awards. Karen is also the founder of the music-heavy online magazine Samaritanmag.com, an anti-tabloid, if you will, about good people trying to change bad things. Among her other ventures, she co-authored the book Music From Far and Wide: Celebrating 40 Years of the JUNO Awards and co-produced the music documentary Chasing Fortune, about JD Fortune, which aired on Super Channel and CBC’s documentary channel.