Adams & Reese Hosts Nashville CLE – “10 Years After Blurred Lines: It’s All Blurrier Than Ever”

Adams & Reese will host “10 Years After Blurred Lines: It’s All Blurrier Than Ever — Music, Copyrights, AI & Everything in Between,” a complimentary, live, in-person CLE program on Thursday, October 1, 2026, at The Virgin Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. The presentations will run from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., with a Q&A Panel from 4:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., followed by a happy hour and networking from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The featured speakers are Richard Busch, Counsel at Adams & Reese and a renowned IP litigator who won the landmark Blurred Lines case against Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke, and Judith Finell, Musicologist and Founder of Judith Finell MusicServices Inc., who served as the musicologist in the Blurred Lines case. The panel Q&A will be moderated by Lynn Morrow, Partner at Adams & Reese and Entertainment & New Media Team Leader, who represents clients in the music and entertainment industries, counseling them on intellectual property protection and deal negotiations.

The event will explore the evolving intersection of music, copyright law, and artificial intelligence a decade after the landmark Blurred Lines verdict. The program is designed for attorneys who practice in or have an interest in the entertainment industry, as well as professionals working in music, talent management, and related creative fields who want to better understand how AI is transforming copyright law. It will offer practical insights and discussion from leading voices in musicology, entertainment litigation, copyright law, and new media.

The program will begin with Finell’s presentation on protecting musical creativity in the new frontier, including the musicologist’s role, degrees of similarity in music copyright, expert-witness analysis from the Blurred Lines case, the combination-of-elements doctrine, and the vulnerability of music to AI replication. Busch will then address AI-generated music and art, U.S. Copyright Office rules on human authorship, AI training and fair use, AI voice impersonations and right-of-publicity claims, Tennessee’s ELVIS Act, and copyright termination rights under Section 203. The agenda also includes discussion of matters and authorities such as Thaler v. Perlmutter, Concord v. Anthropic, the Suno and Udio lawsuits, Reuters v. Ross, Salt-N-Pepa v. UMG, Bridgeport, Three Boys, and Swirsky. A question-and-answer session will follow with Busch, Morrow, and Finell. The event will conclude with happy hour and networking.

After the completion of the program, Adams & Reese will apply for 2.0 CLE credits in the following jurisdictions: Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. Some programs may not be awarded CLE credits because of content or jurisdictional restrictions. Please be aware that the CLE approval process can be lengthy in some jurisdictions.

Don't miss this complimentary program — space is limited. Register here to save your seat.