Three-Day Seminar on Music, Cinema and Law by NUALS and Kerala Judicial Academy : Register Now!

NUALS and the Kerala Judicial Academy are organising a three-day national seminar on the intersection of music, cinema and law from September 11 to 13, 2026.

About the National University of Advanced Legal Studies and Kerala Judicial Academy

The National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS), in association with the Kerala Judicial Academy, is organising a three-day national seminar on “Music, Cinema and Law: Exploring the Intersections of Art, Culture and Law”.

The seminar brings together members of the judiciary, government, legal academia, legal practitioners, filmmakers and performing artistes to examine emerging legal issues concerning creative expression and the entertainment industry.

About the Opportunity

The three-day seminar will examine legal questions arising at the intersection of art, culture and law. The academic sessions will address issues concerning copyright, music, cinema, artificial intelligence, technology, digital platforms, contracts and protection of creative rights.

The seminar will be inaugurated by Sri. V.D. Satheesan, Chief Minister of Kerala. Justice V. Mohana, Judge, Supreme Court of India, will be the Chief Guest, while Justice Soumen Sen, Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court, will deliver the Special Address.

Prof. (Dr.) G. B. Reddy, Vice-Chancellor, NUALS, will deliver the welcome address, and Justice Anil K. Narendran, Judge, High Court of Kerala and President, Board of Governors, Kerala Judicial Academy, will deliver the Thematic Address.

Duration

The seminar will be conducted from September 11 to September 13, 2026.

Location

The seminar will be held at Bolgatty Palace & Island Resort, Ernakulam.

Practice Areas

The academic discussions will cover:

• Copyright in music.
• Musical contracts.
• Artificial intelligence and technology in the commercial music industry.
• Sound recordings.
• Digital platforms.
• Cinema contracts.
• Copyright protection for choreography.
• Legal interpretation and musical interpretation.

Roles & Responsibilities

Music and Law

The Music and Law session will examine legal issues relating to music, including copyright, contracts, technology and sound recordings.

The session will be chaired by Justice Prathiba M. Singh, Judge, High Court of Delhi, and Justice Somasekhar Sundaresan, Judge, High Court of Bombay.

Speakers include Prof. Prabuddha Ganguli, CEO, Vision-IPR, Mumbai; Prof. V. K. Ahuja, Director, Indian Law Institute, New Delhi; Jaideep Gupta, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India; and Pragyan Pradip Sharma, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India.

Cinema and Law

The Cinema and Law session will examine legal issues relating to cinema, creative works and the entertainment industry.

The session will be chaired by Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V., Judge, High Court of Kerala, and Justice Sabyasachi Bhattacharyya, Judge, High Court of Calcutta.

The speakers include filmmaker Shyamaprasad, filmmaker Goutam Ghose, Prof. (Dr.) Anirban Mazumder of the National University of Juridical Sciences, advocate and TMT partner Nikhil Narendran, Dr. Rachitha Ravi of Kerala Kalamandalam, and Dr. Muthumani Somasundaran, Assistant Professor, Inter University Centre for IPR Studies, CUSAT and cine artiste.

Interpretation of Music and Interpretation of Law

The final academic session will explore the relationship between musical interpretation and legal interpretation.

The session will be chaired by Justice Aniruddha Bose, Former Judge, Supreme Court of India and Director, National Judicial Academy, and Justice C.V. Karthikeyan, Judge, High Court of Madras.

Jaideep Gupta, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India; Pandit Partha Chatterjee, Sitar Maestro; and Sreevalsan J. Menon, Carnatic Vocalist and Composer, will participate as speakers.

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Application Procedure

Further information regarding the seminar is available through the official announcement.