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Education
University of Iowa, J.D., with distinction, 1984
University of Iowa, B.A. in English, 1981
Kevin C. Parks
Member
Kevin Parks has significant experience counseling clients and litigating in all areas of trademark and copyright law, including representation in trial and appellate courts and in proceedings before the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and U.S. Copyright Office.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Parks founded SOUNDIES, a music licensing and consulting firm. Earlier, he was affiliated with intellectual property firms in New York and Chicago, and served as in-house Brand Counsel to the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association from 1996 to 1998.
Mr. Parks has been an adjunct faculty member at The John Marshall Law School since 2003, teaching coursework in music copyright and licensing. He writes and speaks regularly on current issues in music copyright and the music business, and is the author of Music & Copyright in America: Toward the Celestial Jukebox, published by the American Bar Association in 2012.
Professional Affiliations
- International Trademark Association
- American Bar Association, Intellectual Property Section
- Copyright Subcommittee 306, Broadcasting, Sound Recordings and Performing Artists
- The Copyright Society of the U.S.A.
- Chicago Bar Association
Articles and Publications
- "From Ray Charles to "Y.M.C.A" – Section 203 Copyright Terminations in 2013 and Beyond," The Licensing Journal, May 2013 (Vol. 33, No. 3)
- Quoted in a CNN Entertainment article by Elizabeth Landau, "Singer alleges 'Glee' ripped off his cover song," January 26, 2013
- "Everything Old Is New Again," Chicago Lawyer, December 2012/January 2013
- Music & Copyright in America: Toward the Celestial Jukebox (2012 American Bar Association)
- "A new day for copyright law," Chicago Lawyer, August 2012
- "Fight of the century!" Chicago Lawyer, April 2012
- "Character judgments," Chicago Lawyer, November 2011
- "Losing control of the business," Chicago Lawyer, July 2011
- "Act now, while supplies last!" Chicago Lawyer, March 2011
- "Waiting for the canary to sing," Chicago Lawyer, October 2010
- "The futures of IP," Chicago Lawyer, June 2010
- Contributing author on copyright, ABA Annual Review of Intellectual Property Law Developments 2009
- “Performance rights 2010?” Chicago Lawyer, February 2010
- Quoted in The Christian Science Monitor article by Patrik Jonsson, "Songwriters sue, saying: You can't use 'Redneck Yacht Club," September 9, 2009
- "Time to traffic in trademarks," Chicago Lawyer, July 2009
- Quoted in The Sun News (Myrtle Beach, SC) articles by Mike Cherney, "Hard Rock Park Creators File Suit: Ex-proprietors Cite Trademark Violations," May 20, 2009, and "Freestyle Music Park Clear for Today's Opening," May 23, 2009
- "Copyright works," Chicago Lawyer, January 2009
- “Black Hole or Celestial Jukebox: Section 114 and the Future of Music," Landslide Magazine, November/December 2008
- "Congress Debates the Future of Music with 'Performance Rights Act,'" Corporate Counsel Magazine, March 2008
- "Twenty-First Century Music Performance Licensing and the Great Royalty Debates," The Licensing Journal, January 2008
- "The Music Industry Wins a Battle – But What About the War?" Instant Awareness, An Immediate Look at the Legal and Industry Ramifications of Virgin Records America, et al v. Jammie Thomas, Aspatore Books 2007
Honors
- Recognized as a top Illinois trademark lawyer by the World Trademark Review 1000 (2011-2013)
- Selected by peers as a Leading Lawyer in Intellectual Property Law – Leading Lawyers Network (2011-2012)
- Listed among the Top Lawyers in Illinois in Intellectual Property Law – Chicago Lawyer
Speaking Engagements and Presentations
- Presentation, "Copyright Terminations 2013," to American Intellectual Property Law Association Annual Meeting, October 25, 2012
- McTammany to ReDigi: Same Old Song After 125 Years, guest lecture to University of Iowa College of Law, Intellectual Property Society, September 7, 2012
- News commentary, ABC 7 Chicago Television, “Evanston Bakery Suing Over Signature Recipe,” April 2012
- Presentation, "Internet_Radiohead -- Licensing in the 'New' Music Business," to Chicago Bar Association, Young Lawyers Creative Arts Committee Seminar, January 2008
- Presentation, "Digital Music Performance Licensing and the New Webcasting Rates," to Chicago Bar Association, Young Lawyers Intellectual Property Committee, March 2007
- Roundtable Panelist, "Copyright in the Digital Age," Intellectual Property Law Society, Chicago-Kent College of Law, February 2007
- Presentation, "Music Public Performance Licensing In the Digital Age," to Columbia College Chicago, January 2007
- Presentation, "Muddy Waters: Copyright Developments on the Musical Frontier," to John Marshall Law School 50th Annual Conference on Developments in Intellectual Property Law, May 2006
- Presentation, "The Changing Value of Music," to Intellectual Property Law Society, Chicago-Kent College of Law, 2006
- Presentation, "Copyright Fair Use in the Music Business," to American Intellectual Property Law Association Annual Meeting, 2004
Bar Admissions and Registrations
- Illinois, 1988
- New York, 1985
Courts
- Illinois Supreme Court
- New York Supreme Court
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (Member, Trial Bar)
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
