Matt Bower of Varnum Named Co-director of U-D Mercy’s Arts and Entertainment Law Clinic

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Matt Bower headshot
Courtesy of Varnum

Matt Bower, a partner at Varnum, a Michigan law firm with locations throughout the state and in Florida, has been named co-director and adjunct professor of the newly launched Arts and Entertainment Law Clinic at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.

The clinic will provide students with access to a comprehensive intellectual property law practice experience. Specific client projects may include filing copyright registrations, preparing clearance reports and fair use analyses, drafting, and commenting on music agreements, personal services agreements, location agreements and image releases, and advising on defamation and publicity matters.

“I look forward to being part of this historic and important clinic,” says Bower. “The arts and entertainment professions are important to me on both a professional and personal basis, and I am excited about helping young attorneys understand the unique needs of clients in the creative economy.”

Bower is a business law attorney with a strong focus on startups and emerging companies. He has extensive experience in a broad range of intellectual property matters including copyright protection and licensing, publicity rights, publishing, public art, and fair use. He serves as lead attorney for Varnum’s Ann Arbor office and leads the firm’s venture capital and emerging companies’ practice.

The Detroit Mercy Law Arts and Entertainment Law Clinic is the only one of its kind in the state of Michigan. The clinic enhances the law school’s commitment to educating the complete lawyer by providing students with access to a comprehensive intellectual property law clinical offering.

In addition to the copyright work through the new clinic, Detroit Mercy Law offers a transnational patent clinic and trademark clinic, both of which are certified by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).