Coe Ramsey is an entertainment lawyer with an emphasis in music, broadcast, communications, and media law. A former disc jockey, Coe represents radio and television stations, music-related businesses, musicians, artists, new media companies, and others in nearly every area of entertainment law.
Coe has a diverse entertainment practice that includes matters related to music, radio, film, television, and publishing. His passion for broadcasting and music stems from his years of experience in the industry as a DJ, re-mixer, and producer. A former mix show DJ for Greensboro radio station 102 JAMZ, Coe has a deep understanding of the complex legal problems that entertainment clients face. He has become a leading entertainment lawyer and counsels a variety of clients including artists, musicians, producers, radio and television stations, record and publishing companies, new media companies, advertisers, DJs, authors, and other related ventures in nearly every area of entertainment law. He represents clients on a variety of issues, including contract drafting and negotiation, music licensing, copyright, trademark, litigation, intellectual property disputes, advertising, privacy, and formation and financing of entertainment companies.
The 2017 Chambers USA guide states that "Coe Ramsey frequently acts in IP matters arising from the entertainment space, advising on areas such as litigation and contract negotiations. ‘He is amazing, and I won’t use anyone else,’ asserts one interviewee.”
Coe teaches entertainment law as an adjunct professor at Wake Forest University School of Law.
Coe’s communications and media practice focuses on FCC regulatory, transactional, corporate and intellectual property (copyright and trademark) matters. Coe represents radio and television operators throughout the country. He counsels and advocates for his clients on a variety of issues, including buying and selling radio and television properties, FCC ownership rules and policies, broadcast licensing and renewals, programming issues, cable and satellite carriage, political advertising, and music licensing. Coe also works with new media companies, including Internet broadcasters, digital networks, and app developers, and assists them on a variety of issues, including content acquisition and protection, licensing, privacy, terms and conditions, and digital advertising and promotions.
Coe has a diverse intellectual property practice with an emphasis on copyright, trademark, and right to publicity matters. Coe’s clients include radio and television stations, new media companies, artists and musicians, record and publishing companies, advertisers, internet broadcasters, digital networks, app developers, and other entertainment companies and entrepreneurs whose businesses involve intellectual property matters. He represents his clients on a variety of issues, including contract drafting and negotiation, licensing, intellectual property protection, and litigation. Coe teaches intellectual property law as an adjunct professor of entertainment law at Wake Forest University School of Law.
Recognized in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business for Intellectual Property Law (2016-2020)
Selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© for Entertainment Law - Music, Litigation - Intellectual Property (2019-2021) and Copyright Law (2021)
Recognized in North Carolina Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters) in Entertainment and Sports Law (2019-2020) and as a “Rising Star” in Entertainment & Sports Law (2011-2012) and Communications Law (2009)
Recipient, Irving E. Carlyle Distinguished Law Scholarship
AV® Preeminent™, Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating
Adjunct Professor, Wake Forest University School of Law (2013-present)
Board of Advisors Member, Journal of Business & Intellectual Property Law, Wake Forest University School of Law (2011-present)
Chair, Sports and Entertainment Law Section, North Carolina Bar Association (2010-2011)
Council Member, Sports and Entertainment Law Section, North Carolina Bar Association (2008-present)
Music and Film Co-Chair, Sports and Entertainment Law Section, North Carolina Bar Association (2007)
Technology Chair, Sports and Entertainment Law Section, North Carolina Bar Association (2007)
Contributing Writer, DJ Times Magazine (2009-present)
Member, Forum on Entertainment and Sports Industries, American Bar Association (1998-present)
Member, Federal Communications Bar Association (1998-present)
Member, North Carolina Bar Association (1998-present)
Cooperating Attorney, American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina Legal Foundation, Inc. (2003-2004)
Co-presenter (with Amanda Whorton), "New Era in Music Licensing: The Music Modernization Act," UNC School of Law Festival of Legal Learning, February 2019
Panelist, legal concerns in music industry, "ANGLES: A Music Business Panel Discussion Series," Raleigh, NC, February 2018
Author, "Music Licensing Databases? The Transparency in Music Licensing Ownership Act and ASCAP/BMI," The Licensing Journal, September 2017
Co-presenter, "Legal Obligations When Broadcasting Live Performances," International Bluegrass Music Association's Business Conference, Raleigh, NC, September 2017
Co-presenter, music law basics and band formation, Bobbit Inn of Court Meeting, Charlotte, NC, January 2017
Presenter, "Give the People What They Want: Playing Covers with Dignity," DIY Musician's Conference, Chicago, IL, October 2016
Presenter, "Current Music Licensing Issues Created by Streaming Services," 2016 World of Bluegrass Business Conference, International Bluegrass Music Association, Raleigh, NC, September 2016
Presenter, "Band 101: Basics of Starting a Band," UNC School of Law Festival of Legal Learning, Chapel Hill, NC, February 2016
Presenter, "Band 101: So You Want to Start a Band," 2015 World of Bluegrass Business Conference, International Bluegrass Music Association, Raleigh, NC, September 2015
Presenter, "Legal Q&As for DJs," 2015 DJ Expo, Atlantic City, NJ, August 2015
Panelist, "License It and Collect!" Winter Music Conference, Miami, FL, March 2015
Entertainment Law, CLE presentation for the UNC School of Law Annual Festival of Legal Learning, February 2015
Panelist, “Royalties in the Modern Music Industry,” Fifth Annual Sports & Entertainment Law Symposium, Duke University Law School, January 2015
Presenter, “The Big Negotiation: The Nitty Gritty of Contracts and Riders,” 2014 World of Bluegrass Business Conference, International Bluegrass Music Association, September 2014
Legal issues In Documentary Film Production, presented at The Documentary Summit 2012, Raleigh, November 2012
Broadcaster and the Beast: Tales of Copyright and Patent Adventures, Copyright Update, presented at the NAB Show, Las Vegas, April 2012
Intellectual Property Law Issues in Sports & Entertainment Practices, NCBA CLE Co-Planner, January 2012
Top 10 Things DJs Should Know About Music Copyright Law, Seminar Presentation for 2012 International DJ Expo, Atlantic City, NJ, August 2012
Intellectual Property Law Panel, SPARKcon, Raleigh, NC, September 2011
Legal FAQs for DJs, Seminar Presentation for 2011 International DJ Expo, Atlantic City, NJ, August 2011
Music and the Internet, CLE Presentation for the North Carolina Bar Association Sports and Entertainment Law Section Annual Meeting, January 2011
File-sharing: The Straight Dope, DJ Times, September 2010
Intellectual Property Law Panel, SPARKcon, Raleigh, NC, September 2010
An Overview of the 2010 Triangle Game Conference, Sports & Entertainment Newsletter, North Carolina Bar Association, June 2010
Legal Q&A for DJs, Mobile Beat, The Mobile Entertainer's Magazine, May 2010
Keynote Speaker, 2010 Sports and Entertainment Law Symposium, UNC Sports and Entertainment Law Association, April 2010
Sound Games: Music Licensing and Gaming, Presentation for the Triangle Game Conference, April 2010
Digital Beats: Music Licensing and Copyright Enforcement on the Web, CLE presentation for the UNC School of Law Annual Festival of Legal Learning, February 2010
Legal Beat Update, A DJ's Legal Guide to Using Music on the Web, DJ Times, September 2009
Court Rules No Public Performance Fee for Ringtones, Sports & Entertainment Newsletter, North Carolina Bar Association, November 2009
The Top 10 Things DJs Should Know About Music Copyright Law, Seminar Presentation for 2009 International DJ Expo, Atlantic City, NY, August 2009
Keeping the Digital Beat Legal, A Guide to Using Music on the Internet, Sports & Entertainment Newsletter, North Carolina Bar Association, June 2009
License It and Collect!, Panelist for Winter Music Conference, March 2009
Music and Your Business: The Top 10 Things Business Owners (and their Attorneys) Should Know About Music Copyright Law, CLE presentation for UNC School of Law Annual Festival of Legal Learning, February 2009
Legal Beat, Copyright Law and You, DJ Times, December 2008
The Fundamentals of Music Copyright Law, CLE presentation for the UNC School of Law Annual Festival of Legal Learning, February 2008
Sound Recordings and Musical Compositions: Music Copyright Law Basics, CLE presentation for the North Carolina Bar Association Sports and Entertainment Law Section Annual Meeting, September 2007
A Guide to the FCC's Equal Employment Opportunity Rules, presented at the NAB Show, Las Vegas, April 2007
A Guide to the FCC's New Children's Television Rules, presented at the NAB Show, Las Vegas, April 2007
Burning the Global Village to Roast a Pig: The Communications Decency Act of 1996 is not "Narrowly Tailored" in ACLU v. Reno, 32 Wake Forest L. Rev. 1283 (1997), James H. Hoge Award, Second Place
Co-Author, Access to the Judicial Process and Records, NC Media Law Handbook (Cathy Packer and Hugh Stevens eds., 2001)
I am an entertainment and communications lawyer because I was a DJ. When I was in high school, I was a mix show DJ on one of the largest stations in the market. I knew at the time that 102 JAMZ was my “ticket,” I just didn’t know to where. My exposure on radio led to years of work as a mobile and nightclub DJ and as a re-mixer/music producer. I have always been fascinated by the power of radio and music. Music has a way of bringing people together unlike any other medium. Watching that happen while you are playing the music, whether from a 99,000 watt radio transmitter or in a DJ booth, is about as good at it gets.
In college, my philosophy classes introduced me to another passion – law. I realized there could be no better way to combine my passions than to become an entertainment and communications lawyer. The best part of my law practice is my clients. Broadcasters, entertainment entrepreneurs, musicians, artists, filmmakers, producers, and I are kindred spirits. My experience in and understanding of their businesses give me a unique legal perspective. Applying this perspective for clients in entertainment and communications industries, advising and navigating them through legal issues, and helping them succeed is my passion.
