May 16, 2008

Whitney Brown ('09) has successful internship at WGBH in Brighton

As a WGBH intern last fall, BU Law student Whitney Brown worked alongside alumnus Jay Fialkov ('81) , the WGBH deputy general counsel and the president of WGBH's music publishing companies. Her time with WGBH and Fialkov not only provided real world perspective and guidance, but also cultivated her love for intellectual property litigation. To learn more about her internship experience, read her Q&A below:

How did you acquire your internship?

Last August, I managed to get in touch with Sue Kantrowitz, the vice president and general counsel at WGBH and spoke to her about entertainment law. She told me that they needed some help this fall and gave me the name of Jay Fialkov, the deputy general counsel (and a BU Law alum). Jay offered me an internship and then I had to beg Professor Knight to let me into the program.

What was your first day on the job like? Were you intimidated?

WGBH is a small, friendly environment. On the first day, the first thing that struck me was how amazing a workspace it was. WGBH just moved into its new space in Brighton when I arrived, and I spent most of my first day snooping around the halls to find where the producers of my favorite programs worked. I was a little concerned about one thing—I had little experience in copyright law, and researching copyright law for public broadcasting was my new job. I was put at ease immediately when I met the other attorneys at WGBH and the first-day jitters disappeared.

What were your duties at WGBH?

During my time at WGBH I was researching the exemptions for public broadcasting that appear in the 1976 Copyright Act. In March, WGBH will be hosting a conference entitled “Private Rights and Public Broadcasting” that seeks to bring together academics, rights holders and public broadcasting to discuss potential reforms of the Copyright Act that would facilitate WGBH’s ability to exploit distribution technologies on the Internet. My work centered around preparation for this conference—compiling lists of invitees, researching backgrounds of what groups should be included and studying the current exemptions and proposed legislation in the House of Representatives that could address public broadcasting’s concerns.

What was it like being supervised by a BU Law alumnus?

When I first talked to Jay on the phone about the internship and he offered me the job he said “Well, I always love to help out someone from BU.” When I worked at WGBH, I was also going through the on-campus interviewing process, starting at a journal and taking evidence. Jay was a great help to me on all of those points, and most of all, he coached me on writing my note (on copyright reform and public broadcasting, of course).

What did you find to be the most fun or interesting aspect of your internship?

As a kid who grew up watching shows on public broadcasting—many of which are produced by WGBH—arriving at work each day was my favorite part. WGBH’s new complex in Brighton is really something special—it is a creative environment dedicated to inspiring, entertaining and educating. I loved walking through the hallways each day and feeling like I was a part of something “big.”

How has your real world experience at WGBH influenced your perceptions of entertainment law or intellectual property?

My time at WGBH helped convince me that I wanted to pursue IP and helped give me an excellent background in the legal issues emerging on the Internet and copyright law in general. Because of my time at WGBH, I know that in my future I will be drawn toward representing clients in the entertainment industry, arts, museums, libraries, etc.

What area of law are you looking to pursue in the future?

I will be pursuing intellectual property litigation in the future.

Reported by Lauren Shiraka