Law & Order In The Entertainment Business
Game Center Animation 21 Lecture Series & IGDA LA Chapter meeting

When: August 31, 2006 at 6:30 PM
Where: The Big Room, The Art Institute of California - Los Angeles
2900 31st Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405

The August 31 session of the Animation 21 Lecture Series is dedicated to legal issues of the entertainment business with a focus on fields of animation and game development.

A panel of experts will address legal issues such as licensing, copyrights, patenting and other related matters.

Panel members include:

MICHAEL J. MOFFATT - Mr. Michael Moffatt is an intellectual property attorney with the law firm of Fulwider Patton LLP. Fulwider Patton LLP counsels clients from around the world on intellectual property matters including patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets. Mr. Moffatt graduated from CSULB with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1986 and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1992.  Mr. Moffat earned his J.D. (cum laude) from Pepperdine University 1995.  Mr. Moffatt has extensive experience counseling clients in the gaming industry on matters of patents, copyrights, and trademark law.

GARY M. ANDERSON - Mr. Gary M. Anderson is a partner with the firm of Fulwider Patton LLP since 1989. He has extensive experience in the litigation of patent, trademark, trade dress, trade secret and unfair competition matters in both State and Federal Courts and before the International Trade Commission. Mr. Anderson also has significant experience in the preparation and prosecution of patent and trademark applications. Additionally, Mr. Anderson provides general counseling on Intellectual Property Law assisting clients in establishing IP protection programs and product clearance programs. Mr. Anderson is also an adjunct Professor at Whittier Law School teaching Trade Secret Law.

JESSIE K. REIDER - Ms Jessie K. Reider is an associate at Fulwider Patton LLP, specializing in Trademark Law. Ms. Reider received her B.A. in International Studies from Emory University in 2001. She graduated from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law with a Certificate in Intellectual Property in 2004. Her practice includes the preparation and prosecution of trademarks and copyrights, and related litigation, and counseling clients in matters relating to trademark and trade dress issues.

AKIKO ASHLEY - Akiko Ashley is one of the founders of Santa Monica based Luminetik Animation Studios. Akiko started her career writing games for Nintendo in Japan in the early 80's. Akiko's diverse background combining technology with creativity is a major asset to Luminetik. Luminetik was one of the co-sponsors of NYDV Expo at Madison Square Garden in 2003 and produced the commercial for Mind Share Ventures. Akiko is an Executive Producer on such projects as VFX work on the Castlerock/Warner Bros. movie "Two Weeks Notice," four commercials for Arm and Hammer featuring New York Yankee Jason Giambi, and CGI work for National Geographic on "Snake Wranglers." She is on the Advisory Board of HDRI3D and Architosh.com magazine.

JEFF LANDER - Jeff Lander has worked as a programmer for many years in the video game, television and film arenas where he has developed many games and real-time graphic applications. He has also written extensively for Game Developer magazine and spoken at many industry trade shows and conferences. He is one of the founding members of the Los Angeles Chapter of the International Game Developer's Association (IGDA). His latest project, True Crime, Streets of L.A. was just released by Activision. Jeff is a member of the IGDA LA Chapter.

ERIC T. ELDER - Eric T. Elder graduated from University of the Arts in Philadelphia in Animation with a BFA degree. Soon after, he began teaching animation production at The Art Institute of Philadelphia. He began his studio career at MTV Animation in New York on the Beavis and Butt-Head feature. He then moved to California where he worked as a key animator at Film Roman on King of the Hill and The Simpsons. He also continued his teaching career at The Art Institute of California - Los Angeles. He was promoted to Assistant Department Chair of Media Arts & Animation and Game Art & Design. He then assumed his current role as Academic Director of Game Art & Design. His graduates have been placed at some of the biggest names in the game industry including: Electronic Arts, Activison (Luxoflux, Treyarch, Neversoft) and THQ (Heavy Iron). He also heads the Game Wizards Video Game Production Team which is currently working on it’s fifth Unreal MOD "Monster Smash".

LAURA SOLOFF, President of The Art Institute of California - Los Angeles, will be the panel moderator. Laura J. Soloff became President of The Art Institute of California – Los Angeles in February 2003. Prior to her current position, Ms. Soloff served as President of The Art Institute of California – Orange County where she headed the startup of the school with 61 students in July 2000 and brought the enrollment to more than 1000 students in 2003. Ms. Soloff joined EDMC in July 1998, bringing more than nineteen years experience in proprietary education and many years of human resources experience from the industry. Laura began on the "Tiger Team" with EDMC and trained at the Phoenix Campus for four months. She was then assigned to the position of Interim President at the San Francisco campus for three months. Prior to joining EDMC, Laura was Director of Human Resources and Administration for Sony Pictures Entertainment in Culver City, California. Prior to that position, she held numerous senior management positions with FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising), a four campus system of proprietary schools in California. While at FIDM, Laura served as Director of Career Planning and Placement; Campus Director, Regional Director and Director of Student Financial Services.

• After the Animation 21 Lecture Series Session at 7: 45pm, IGDA LA Chapter will hold its monthly meeting in The Big Room. IGDA members will have a debate on the future of the GDC.
• For more information about these events please contact Bijan Tehrani at (818) 613-4227 or btehrani@dljl.com.

Game Center partners are supporting "The Game Center Animation 21" lecture series: Alias, AMD, Animation Magazine, Autodesk Inc., Softimage, F. Dice, (IGDA) International Game Developers Assn., Luminetik Animation Studios, Motion Analysis Corp., Nvidia Corp., PC Unlimited, Peachpit Press, Pioneer (USA), Seagate Technology, SilverStone, Tyan Computer Corp. and ViewSonic.

About The Art Institute of California, Los Angeles
The Art Institute of California – Los Angeles (http://www.aicala.artinstitutes.edu/) is one of The Art Institutes, with 32 education institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.

CONTACT: Bijan Tehrani
(818) 613-4227
mailto:ndixon@aii.edu