Posts Tagged ‘harvey weinstein’

Dead to Rights

Day of the Dead skull decorated with Fashion Law Institute needle and spool of thread logo

Dead to Rights: Ethical Perspectives on Cultural Appropriation, Postmortem Rights of Publicity, and the Ghost of Harvey Weinstein

DATE: Thursday, October 26, 2017
TIME: 6:00-7:50pm (reception 5:30pm)
PLACE: Fordham Law School, 150 W. 62nd Street, 2nd floor
NYS CLE: 2.0 hours ethics

Halloween and the Day of the Dead are fast approaching, and for this year's annual ethics CLE event, we'd like to treat you to a pair of thought-provoking panels.  Join us for an insightful -- and at times hair-raising -- discussion of issues from intellectual property's twilight zone and on the cutting edge of sexual harassment law:

  • When does a costume constitute cultural misappropriation?
  • How can we keep fear of cultural appropriation from curtailing cultural exchange in fashion?
  • Should fashion houses be haunted by ghosts of celebrities past in states without postmortem publicity rights?

PANELISTS:

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  • Do settlement agreements in sexual harassment cases bury victims in unethical silence?
  • What does Harvey Weinstein's ghastly employment contract say about the spirit of corporate law?
  • Should business partners be scared off by allegations of sexual harassment?
  • What can we do to make the fashion industry a less frightening place?

PANELISTS:

MODERATOR: Jeff Trexler, Attorney and Associate Director, Fashion Law Institute

Register here!

Professor Scafidi on harassment in fashion

WWD has a roundup of reactions to the Harvey Weinstein news and its implications for the fashion industry. Here’s an excerpt from Professor Scafidi’s comments:

Legally, many models who experience sexual harassment have no recourse unless they are actually threatened or physically violated, in which case criminal law may apply, assuming enough evidence to bring a case. Since models are considered independent contractors, sexual harassment laws designed to protect employees typically do not apply. New York State’s inclusion of models under 18 in its child performer protection law starting in 2013 was a victory, but more legal support is necessary. In fact, in an era when traditional employer-employee relationships are giving way to the gig economy more generally, society as a whole could benefit from studying the problems experienced by models and creating structures to combat sexual harassment and abuse in every context.

More here.