copyright law as career choice

[thomaslabrams]

I'm starting this fall at Tulane and am thinking about pursuing a career in copyright law.  I don't have a background in any science (but economics, and german) and get the feeling that a lot of IP work in general is done by patent lawyers.  My question is - do I have to pass the patent bar in order to have a good chance of working as a copyright lawyer?  Is most IP law dominated by science-background-having JD's??  Any input would be appreciated. 

 

[osulinds]

I'm at University of Tulsa and we have a copyright law "expert" who is an adjunct.  He's really nice and can probably answer any questions you have about copyright law.  Email me if you want his address.

[GW2L]

-Very few lawyers do only copyright, and I highly doubt that you would be able to make a career out of just copyright work.  ---You can do IP litigation without a science background.

[ruskiegirl]

I disagree with some of the above posters.  You can get a job that would be mostly copyright oriented, especially if you became in-house counsel to a record label or publishing house.  Basically, you can avoid patents all together if you become a transactional attorney in the entertainment industry.

[thomaslabrams]

Thanks!  Sooo, if I wanted to do in house counsel at a publishing house, etc., would Tulane not be the best school to go to?? (I've been waitlisted at both Cardozo and Brooklyn Law and accepted at St. Johns and New York Law School - all in NYC where most publishing houses are).  Should I wait to go to one of these lower ranked schools?  I am pretty certain that I want to live and work in NYC. 

Also - is this whole copyright thing a risky bet?  Should I have a definite strong plan B?  As I've heard that copyright is a very competitive field...

 

Thanks again for any insight.  You guys rock!!

[ruskiegirl]

Thanks!  Sooo, if I wanted to do in house counsel at a publishing house, etc., would Tulane not be the best school to go to?? (I've been waitlisted at both Cardozo and Brooklyn Law and accepted at St. Johns and New York Law School - all in NYC where most publishing houses are).  Should I wait to go to one of these lower ranked schools?  I am pretty certain that I want to live and work in NYC. 

Also - is this whole copyright thing a risky bet?  Should I have a definite strong plan B?  As I've heard that copyright is a very competitive field...

 

Thanks again for any insight.  You guys rock!!

Going to school in California, preferably LA, would open a lot of doors for you right away, because you would be right in the midst of the industry.  However, if Tulane is the best school you got into, stick with it and be sure to focus on your grades.  Try to get a summer position in the industry - whether it be working for an in-house counsel somewhere or working for a transactional firm in LA.  Would you be better off if you went to USC? Probably.  Are you doomed to work at McD's for the rest of your life just because you have a Tulane degree?  Absolutely not!

[osulinds]

Thomaslabrams - did that prof ever email you back?

[thomaslabrams]

He did! What a nice guy?!?  Everyone always talks about what bastards lawyers are.. and I like completely disagree.  I've been reading the law boards at lawschooldiscussion, xoxo, and vault and except for the random, unfunny, offensive "jokes" everyone seems pretty cool, and helpful.  Anyways... thanks for giving me that contact info.  He said that I could call him - and I will.

 

[mediafatigue]

For what it's worth, I think Tulane is fine if you're interested in this area. They place well enough in NYC and on the NY bar. In the meantime, the city of New Orleans has lots interesting opportunities to work on copyright issues. They have lots of publishing groups, an established and growing music industry, as well as artists of all kinds. It may not be big-firm work, but you'll have lots of opportunities to work with people who actually need assistance protecting (or just understanding) their creative property rights.

[thomaslabrams]

Another nice message   That's great to here... and I hope to definitely get into the field as soon as possible.  A lot of my friends are working on doctorate thesis' or are artists and I know that they all have trouble getting things copyrighted/published, etc.  So I'm personally interested in that type of pro bono work.  One other thing - I read on at xoxo.  Most of those guys are actually total sexist, bigoted jerks.  I could never have imagined that people could make jokes about rape and about being "dark enough" to get flown in to schools for interviews. Crazy!!  I posted a "reality check" and hope I don't have too much to do with such clowns while at law school or as a lawyer.  Sorry for the negativity but those xoxo posts really threw me for a spin!