Join us for an insightful conference tackling the latest challenges and opportunities in media and entertainment law. Explore new regulatory measures, analyse significant case studies, and understand the evolving landscape of digital content and streaming services. Gain insights from leading experts on free speech, the implications of generative AI, and the latest trends in copyright law. Engage in discussions designed to help you navigate the complexities of today's media environment and stay ahead of emerging risks.

Presenters

Kiah Officer, Executive Counsel, Nine
A highly experienced media lawyer and litigator with a strong commercial focus, Kiah has expertise across television, digital media, print (newspapers and magazines) and radio. Working closely with a wide range of content creators, journalists and creatives across all formats and genres, Kiah is an astute problem-solver and trusted advisor to some of Australia's leading media executives, with a deep understanding of the regulated media industry, and a particular passion for news and current affairs. Kiah is skilled in media and entertainment law and regulation, litigation, investigations and disputes, editorial legal advice, regulatory affairs, corporate and commercial law, privacy, IP and competition and consumer law. Recognised as a Leading In-House Intellectual Property & TMT Lawyer by Doyle’s Guide for 2022, Kiah is also a Trustee of the Fairfax Foundation and an accredited mental health first aider.


Sophie Dawson, Partner, Johnson Winter Slattery
Sophie is an experienced media, information technology and privacy partner with an emphasis on advice and disputes. She has extensive experience in advising and acting for companies and agencies in relation to matters including defamation, intellectual property, privacy and law reform advice and disputes. For many years, Sophie has been recognised as a leading TMT lawyer in directories including Chambers Asia-Pacific, Asia Pacific Legal500, Who’s Who Legal, Best Lawyers and Doyles. Sophie is co-author of Thomson Reuter’s Media & Internet Law & Practice and is the current author of the Internet title in Laws of Australia. She is a past president of the Communications and Media Law Association and is a current member of the UTS Centre for Media Transition Advisory Board.


Vincent Floro, Senior Legal Counsel, Stan
Vincent is a Senior Legal Counsel at Stan Entertainment, where he advises on the production and licensing of Stan’s slate of Originals and acquired content. Vincent also provides pre-publication advice on Stan’s documentary and non-scripted productions, and works on a wide range of intellectual property, regulatory, technology, privacy and general commercial matters. He has extensive experience in the television industry and across digital and broadcast media, having previously worked at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Gilbert + Tobin in Sydney, and at Fremantle in London.


Steven Rosser, Principal, Steven Rosser Law
Steve has over 25 years Legal and Business Affairs and executive experience in the global media and entertainment industries. He is admitted as a lawyer in both the UK and Australia. Rated as one of Australian TV’s “most powerful and influential dealmakers”, Steve has worked extensively in legal positions in-house, most significantly with 17 years at FremantleMedia Australia and Asia Pacific where he was the Director of Commercial and Legal Affairs. Steve has unrivalled experience in rights acquisition, protection and management, project development, production, financing, sponsorship and distribution across all platforms and media. His comprehensive commercial experience and insight in working with creative talent, both behind and in front of the camera, has established his strong reputation and extensive network. Steve is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. In his previous lives he has been both a producer and an accountant.


Dr Anton Hughes, Barrister, Maurice Byers Chambers
Dr Anton Hughes specialises in all intellectual property matters, including patents, copyright, trade marks, confidential information, misleading and deceptive conduct. In addition to practicing law for over a decade, Anton has been at the forefront of technology for over 30 years. He has a degree in computer systems engineering, and lengthy professional experience in software development.


Dr Martyn Taylor, Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright
Dr Martyn Taylor is a corporate and commercial Partner in the Sydney office of global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright. He has some 30 years’ experience in competition law. He sits on the board and also heads the telecommunications and media group, and the Australian competition and trade group. He is described as “smart, efficient, friendly”. Martyn’s practice covers transactional, contentious and advisory. He is a well-known TMT, infrastructure, energy, competition and regulatory lawyer. Martyn is recommended by the key legal directories and has been named as one of the ‘top 10’ TMT legal advisors in Asia. Martyn has won numerous prizes and awards, including recently for the $15 billion merger of Vodafone with TPG Telecom (M&A deal of the year 2021). He has attended Harvard University and Oxford University. He has published well over 100 publications, including the award-nominated book 'International Competition Law'. Qualifications: PhD(Law), CME(Harvard), LLM(Law), MFin(Corporate Finance), LLB(Hons), BA(Economics)(Hons), BSc, GAICD.


Chrystal Dare, Partner, Johnson Winter Slattery
Chrystal has over 15 years’ experience as an intellectual property litigator and advisor, specialising in copyright, trade marks, misleading conduct, designs, domains, GIs and other international issues in IP across sectors including technology, FMCG, health, energy and resources, the arts, and luxury goods. Chrystal is passionate about brand and has protected some of the world’s most well-known international trade marks and a wide range of significant Australian brands. Her copyright advisory and disputes experience includes work relating to digital platforms and emerging technologies, as well as traditional copyright in art, photographs and literary works. Chrystal’s experience includes advising and speaking locally and internationally on First Nations IP issues and the emerging area of Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP). Chrystal was named in Doyles’ Guide to Intellectual Property as a “rising star” in each of 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.


Grant McAvaney, Head of Litigation, NewsCorp Australia
Grant McAvaney is a senior media and entertainment lawyer with extensive litigation and commercial law experience. Grant is the Head of Litigation at News Corp Australia, which follows other senior legal positions including Head of Litigation at the ABC, CEO of the Australian Copyright Council, and Partner at Minter Ellison. Grant has acted for clients in a range of complex and interesting matters across print media, television, radio, and online. Grant's wealth of varied legal experience includes pre-publication, defamation, contempt, newsgathering, intellectual property, appearing in Court, copyright licensing, and legislative/policy reviews. He is also active in the wider profession, including by lecturing and training roles, and as a member of the Federal Court Media Committee.


Lucinda Edwards, Chair of SBS Access, SBS Australia
Lucinda Edwards is a Senior Legal Counsel with Special Broadcasting Services (SBS), with over fifteen years industry experience working in the media industry in the UK and Australia. She is part of the SBS legal team who were awarded Sport and Entertainment Team of the Year at the Lawyers Weekly Corporate Counsel Awards in 2023 and 2021, and has previously worked both in-house and in private practice. Lucinda provides advice across SBS's television, online and radio services on a range of issues including management of the commissioned slate of content, providing pre-publication advice to journalists and producers in the news and current affairs division and advising on sports and content acquisitions. She has broad commercial law expertise in both transactional and regulatory matters, with a focus on intellectual property, Indigenous cultural and intellectual property, music rights and disputes. Lucinda has previously sat on the boards of MediaRING, Moorambilla Voices and the Copyright Society.


Damien Vickovich, Associate, Norton Rose Fulbright
Damien Vickovich is a competition, consumer and regulatory lawyer based in Sydney. Damien has experience advising clients on contentious and non-contentious competition issues such as cartel behaviour, market misconduct, access regimes and merger clearance. Damien has worked both for and against the ACCC on a diverse range of matters in a range of industries. He has experience advising clients on regulatory issues arising in the telecommunications, infrastructure, energy and transport sectors. He also has an active interest in space law and sports law. Damien holds an LLB with Honours and a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Sydney.