Let’s Chat with Tom Ara of DLA Paper

In this episode, the yWhales team speaks with Tom Ara, Partner in DLA Piper LLP's Century City office and co-lead for the Firm's Sports, Media and Entertainment Finance and Transactions Group. DLA Paper is a global law firm with lawyers located in more than 40 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, positioning them to help clients with their legal needs around the world. Tom shares general thoughts on how to approach Web3 from a professional standards standpoint and clears a few misconceptions on copyright law.

 

About Guests

Tom K. Ara focuses his practice on entertainment and media industry transactions, both domestic and international. He represents banks, private equity groups, hedge funds, investors and borrowers in financing and strategic industry transactions. In addition, he advises feature film studios, television networks, production companies, Internet and mobile-based content producers and distributors in corporate transactions as well as in the development, production and distribution of feature films, television programs and digital content. Tom's clients also include entertainment, media and technology companies employing new methods and technologies to produce and distribute content and content experiences, including through augmented and virtual reality platforms, as well as financiers and investors active in these areas.

Tom has been involved in a multitude of transactions throughout the world in both traditional media and emerging technologies, representing media companies, financiers and industry participants of all types in financing and strategic industry transactions. Tom has successfully counseled his clients in connection with billions of dollars of complex financing, corporate and M&A transactions involving some of the most successful feature film and television franchises, as well as iconic comic book properties. As one of the early legal pioneers from the West to serve the Asian media and entertainment market, Tom offers valuable insights to his clients, both as a lawyer and as a trustee of the prestigious Washington, DC-based US-Asia Institute. He has also been involved in numerous complex industry transactions involving Europe and the Middle East.

 

You’ll learn about:

• His thoughts on the overall ecosystem today and the steps he thinks it will take for mainstream adoption
• A roadmap for entrepreneurs interested in developing a Web3 protocol
• What to think about when creating content like an NFT project and clears up misconceptions about copyright laws
• DLA Piper and its token called TOKO

 

Resources: 

Connect with Tom Ara: LinkedIn | Email

Connect with YWhales: Website | BitClout | Twitter

DLA Piper: Website | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

 

Timestamps

[01:22] Tom’s background

[03:52] Technology driving the industry

[07:21] Steps for mainstream adoption

[10:42] Roadmap for entrepreneurs

[15:57] Creating an NFT project

[24:40] Modernization of our laws

[36:06] DLA Piper

[40:32] TOKO token

[44:26] Managing security

[51:29] How to contact Tom

 

DISCLAIMER: yWhales is not affiliated with YPO but at this time only allow for YPO, YPO Gold, and YNG members due to privacy & confidentiality. Support and production for today’s episode was done by Truth Work Media. Nothing in the podcast constitutes professional and/or financial advice, nor does any information on the podcast constitute a comprehensive or complete statement of the matters discussed or the law relating thereto.