ADAM MOXON SIMPSON, LLB, B(Com)
Managing Director
asimpson@simpsons.com.au
S
Adam has been the Managing Director of the firm since July 2007 and has been a partner and lawyer with the firm since 1998.
The majority of his clients are Australian and multi-national corporations in the publishing, music, film and games industries and those in need of specialist intellectual property advice. His practice spans both commercial advice and negotiation as well as litigation.
He has been recommended in the legal review publications Chambers (Leading Individual), Legal 500, Doyle’s and Legal Profiles in the field of intellectual property. The 2011 Chambers guide for the Asia-Pacific region described Adam as “an industry expert with a very pragmatic approach” and as a leading lawyer in copyright and trade mark matters in Australia.
His core areas of legal practice are intellectual property (copyright, trade marks, confidential information), contract, trade practices law and litigation.
Strategic Industry Roles
This focus on intellectual property-based industries has led to various strategic roles within these industries.
Adam Simpson was appointed by the Hon Kim Carr, Commonwealth Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, to the position of Chair of the Enterprise Connect Creative Industries Innovation Centre Advisory Committee and member of the Enterprise Connect Advisory Council. This follows his role on the Centre’s Advisory Board.
He initiated and chaired the Contemporary Music Working Group for many years. This group consists of key representatives of all the major music industry bodies including the two largest, Australian Recording Industry Association and the Australasian Performing Right Association. The group’s work has resulted in substantial benefits to industry as well as Government.
He was selected to attend the Prime Minister’s 2020 Summit in the Creative Stream. From this, he helped initiate and is a member of the Federal Government’s Creative Australia Advisory Group along with others including David Gonski, David Throsby, Cate Blanchett and Julianne Schultz.
Earlier Experience
Previously, he has been a director and Legal and Copyright Councilor of the Music Council of Australia and Viscopy, the collecting society for visual artists. For many years, he has acted as a volunteer lawyer at the Arts Law Centre of Australia advising those in the arts and entertainment industries in need of court representation and commercial advice on a pro bono basis. He has also been a visiting lecturer at the University of Western Sydney (School of Creative Arts-Music).
He began his legal career with one of Australia’s largest law firms, before working in London with the International Centre for the Legal Protection of Human Rights, Simons Muirhead & Burton, Mr. John Baldwin QC and Lord Justice Robin Jacob of the High Court.
Papers and Speeches
Virtual Property – IP In Massive Multiplayer Online Role Player Games – Treatment of IP in End User Licence Agreements – deliver at a LESANZ seminar Virtual Property – IP in Online Gaming, July 2006.
Friendly Fire – a review of the new sedition laws – delivered at the College of Law Entertainment Law Update Seminar (March 2006)
Managers, Artists and Lawyers: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly? Lessons from the Holly Valance decision – delivered at the College of Law Entertainment Law Update Seminar (November 2004) Copyright for the Naughties -article written for the Australian film industry in Recent Issues in Film Law. (May 2001)
Moral Rights in the Music Industry – paper published in the Music Council of Australia newsletter, (May 2001)
Moral Rights for Visual Artists – paper published in the National Association of Visual Artists (NAVA) newsletter (May 2001)
Impact on Contract – Content, Copyright and Contract in the Digital Age – paper delivered to Content and Copyright in the Digital Age Conference, Sydney, March 2001
Digital Agenda Update paper delivered to solicitors and barristers as part of the continuing legal education scheme. (October 2000)
Parallel Importing – A Copyright Perspective paper and speech to legal and other industries (October 2000).
The Bill Becomes Law – Digital Agenda article written for Sounds Australian and the newsletter for the Music Council of Australia (October 2000)
Indian Music Piracy – talk show on Radio Brisbani (October 2000)
The Digital Agenda Bill – paper delivered to solicitors and barristers as part of the continuing legal education scheme. (March 2000)
Copyright Awaits – article written for Feedback magazine in relation to the effect of the Digital Agenda Bill on the arts and entertainment industry. (April 2000)
Moral Rights?, You Want to Manage Me? and Anatomy of a Management Agreement – Articles written for Feedback magazine (February – August 2000)
Internet Music Piracy – Speaker at the Fourth International Dance Music Convention, Sydney.
Sampling in the Digital Age – Speaker at the Annual Arts Law Centre of Australia Music Conference, Sydney.
To be [on-line] or not to be [on-line] – Article for the Arts Law Centre of Australia regarding on-line music distribution. (April 1999)