Background

Sam Coppola is a partner at our Montréal office. Sam was admitted to the Québec Bar in 1983 and is a graduate of the University of Ottawa Law School. He also obtained a Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) from McGill University in 1979 and a Masters in Business Administration (magna cum laude) from the University of Ottawa in 1982.

Areas of Practice

• Sam is a member of our Corporate Commercial Group. He specializes in entertainment, media, tax and commercial law.

Rankings and Recognitions

• Selected by peers for inclusion in the 2011 edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada (Entertainment Law)
• Martindale-Hubbell BV® Distinguished™4.4 out of 5 Peer Review Rating
• Recognized in the 2010 Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory (Entertainment Law)

Professional Experience

• Involved in all legal aspects of the production, co-production, financing and distribution of both foreign and Canadian certified film and television productions, including obtaining Canadian federal and provincial tax credits, star contract negotiation, distribution and bank financing.
• Involved in the financing and licensing of various Web sites, CD-ROM production, e-commerce, software, communication products and services, including rights clearances, venture capital investments, due diligence, multimedia tax credits and contract negotiation and preparation.
• Involved in all legal aspects of the recording, management, publishing and promotion of recording artists, including recording and publishing agreements, record label and record distribution agreements.
• Involved in tax planning, reorganization, acquisition and financing of various corporate businesses.

Professional and Community Activities

Publications and Speaking Engagements

• "Maximizing Alternative Revenue Streams in the Multi-platform Universe" Conference Prime Time, Ottawa, panelist
• "Achieving the Papertless Office', speaker Leg@lIT 3.0 Conference, Montréal, Québec
• "Co-producing with China', Banff-TV World Festival, moderator
• "MBA Course: Stars Film Production', Concordia University, Lecturer
• " International Film Tax Incentives', BLG Publication, co-author
• "Jobs Act Holds Incentives for Producing Films in the U.S.', Tax Notes International, February 14, 2005, co-author
• "Crédits D'impôts Cinématographiques Canadiens et Québécoises', Les Affaires, author
• "Conferences 2003' Seminar, Montréal World Film Festival, moderator
• "Film Financing Conferences 2002', Montréal World Film Festival, moderator
• "International Financing Review', AFM 2002, Los Angeles, speaker
• "Financing Independent Films', Montréal World Film Festival, panelist
• "Internet Content Regulations'; Coudert Brothers Studio Presentations, Los Angeles
• "ZGA Media Conferences - Women in Media - moderator', Montréal Film Festival
• "Co-productions' Canada at Cannes, Cannes Film Festival
• "MPA Copyright & Moral Rights Survey', MPAA, Los Angeles, California
• "Executive MBA; Business & Intellectual Property Contracts', Lecturer Concordia University, Montréal
• "Canadian Film and Multimedia Tax Credits', MediaXchange Seminar, Hamburg, Germany
• "Star Contracts ' and "Gap Financing Films', Montréal World Film Festival Seminars
• "Show Me the Money!!! Conference', Montréal World Film Festival Seminar
• "Canadian Film Tax Credits', Entertainment Law Review, Sweet & Maxwell
• "Estate and Tax Planning', Investors Group Seminars
• "Website Entanglements; Multimedia website analysis', Centre juridique des avocats du Québec, www.avocats.qc.ca/affaires/iipagewww.htm
• " Trusts: Estate Planning & Protection", Private conferences (Montréal)
• " Civil Code Reform" Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA).
• "Personal Residence Trusts", The Gazette (Montréal) .
• "Estate Freezes and Reversals", C.I.C.A., Accountants Workshop .
• "Analyse financière et fiscale de la Loi 146", Private Conference (R.C.M.P.).
• "Réforme du Code civil (loi 20 et 146)" Conference, Colloque A.P.F.F.
• "Safe Income: A Misnomer", Author, C.A. Magazine
• "Vivre en condo" (Legal Aspects) Author, Actif Magazine
• "Syndication immobilière", Lecturer, Collège Montmorency

Member

• Québec and Canadian Bar Association
• Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television (A.C.C.T)
• Board of Directors ''Cinémathèque Québécoise''
• Canadian Film and Television Producers Association (CFTPA)