Academy Award-winning screenwriter to speak at Media & the Law Seminar


KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI — Media and legal professionals in Kansas City will be able to hear from an Academy Award-winning screenwriter during the 32nd Annual Media & the Law Seminar. The seminar will be held May 2-3, 2019 at the Sheraton Hotel at Crown Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

Kevin Willmott co-wrote the screenplay for the film "BlacKkKlansman" and is a professor in the Department of Film & Media Studies at the University of Kansas. He is scheduled to speak during the seminar’s luncheon.

The Media & the Law Seminar is an annual continuing legal education (CLE) event hosted by the KU School of Law and the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association Media Law Committee.

This year’s seminar theme is “Let the games begin: Gaming the legal system in the context of media, sports, entertainment and the First Amendment.” In addition to Willmott’s speech, the seminar will feature sessions addressing unique challenges presented by video games and virtual reality games, the influence that “Deep Fakes” can have on media practitioners and the law, the best ways to combat copyright trolls, and how free speech issues have permeated NFL Sundays and athletic contests at all levels due to the controversy surrounding protest activities.

“First Amendment issues increasingly arise in the context of games,” said Mike Kautsch, a seminar organizer and professor of law at KU. “The legal system sometimes appears to be gamed by claimants who assert rights in questionable ways that threaten freedom of expression. Because the idea of games is a common thread among First Amendment issues to be discussed during this year’s seminar, the seminar title is ‘Let the games begin!’”

A Thursday pre-conference session, “Media Law: Essential Tools of the Trade,” is also offered. Two bonus hours of CLE credit will be offered on Thursday.

The event website provides additional information, including registration details for those in the legal and media professions as well as educators, students and the general public.

Seven hours of CLE credit will be available for legal professionals, including one hour of ethics, in Kansas and Missouri. A registration discount is offered for Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association members.