Copyright Essentials for Artists, Musicians and Creatives: An Overview of the Copyright Claims Board and Copyright Office Resources

In this webinar, participants will explore the wide array of resources provided by the Copyright Claims Board (CCB) and the Copyright Office designed to support and enhance their work. The session will cover fundamental aspects of copyright law, offering a clear understanding of its principles and applications specifically for creative and legal professionals. Additionally, attendees will be guided through the various tools and services available through the CCB and the Copyright Office such as searching online copyright records, and where to find educational videos and materials, enabling them to effectively navigate copyright-related issues and leverage these resources to protect and advance their creative and legal endeavors.

This course is approved by the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education for a maximum of one (1) hour of general credit.

Panelists:

Jessica Chinnadurai is an Attorney Advisor in the Office of Public Information and Education at the U.S. Copyright Office. She provides her colleagues with legal guidance on copyright topics and makes recommendations based on legal research. She also participates in outreach projects focused on educating the public about copyright issues. Jessica first joined the Copyright Office in 2019 as a registration specialist, examining copyright applications in the Literary Division of the Office of Registration Policy and Practice. Prior to that, she received her J.D. from the University of Missouri School of Law, where she developed a passion for intellectual property and participated in the school’s Entrepreneurship Legal Clinic.

Monica McCabe has served as one of three officers on the Copyright Claims Board since September 2021 and previously chaired the intellectual property department at Phillips Nizer LLP in NYC. She is a veteran copyright litigator with over three decades of experience, representing both copyright users and owners. She has served on numerous mediation panels, including for the International Trademark Association, the Southern District of New York, and the New York State Supreme Court Commercial Division. She has handled a wide range of disputes in the alternative dispute resolution context, including as a special master. McCabe holds a JD from the Georgetown University Law Center, an MA from the University of Chicago, and a BA from Fordham University.

Whitney Levandusky is the Supervisory Copyright Claims Attorney for the Copyright Claims Board. She joined the Copyright Office in 2015 with the Office of Public Information and Education. 

Before joining the Office, Levandusky spent time in various government and non-profit organizations focused on legal administration for creative and education professionals. She began her legal career as a law clerk for the Honorable William M. Nickerson of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland.  She graduated Order of the Coif from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, and has a BA from the Johns Hopkins University.

Before the pandemic, Levandusky was a member of the NIH Philharmonia and ran the sand pit for the Kinetic Sculpture Race in Baltimore, Maryland.