Faculty Profile: John Beiter

John Beiter of Nashville-based Beiter Law Firm, PLLC has practiced entertainment and intellectual property law for over 25 years. John has represented a diverse array of clients, including recording artists, producers, record companies, songwriters, music publishers, documentary filmmakers, and authors. His institutional clients include the Americana Music Association; the International Entertainment Buyers Association; and musical performing rights organization, SESAC Rights Management, Inc.
John has been selected by his peers to be included among the 2019 Best Lawyers in America in the category of Entertainment-Music; the 2018 International Who's Who of Entertainment Lawyers; and the 2018 Mid-South Super Lawyers. He also is listed in the 2018 "In Charge" edition of Music Row Magazine, Nashville's music industry trade magazine. John is a former Chairman and current member of the Nashville Bar Association Entertainment Law Committee and a former Board of Directors member and alumnus of Leadership Music. He is a member of the Recording Academy, the Country Music Association, the American Bar Association Forum on the Entertainment & Sports Industries, and the Tennessee Bar Association Entertainment and Sports Law Section.
John has represented clients regarding copyright-related legislation such as the Songwriters Capital Gains Tax Equity Act, which provides favorable capital gains tax treatment on income songwriters receive when they sell their song catalogs. He also has participated on governmental roundtable discussions regarding copyright legislative topics presented by the Copyright Office and the Patent and Trademark Office. During law school, John served as Managing Editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review. His student law review article regarding copyright infringement liability of state governments was cited by the Register of Copyrights in its Report to Congress on that subject. Before studying and practicing law, he wrote songs for a Nashville-based music publisher.