In December 2006, I was invited to conduct a session for K-12 teachers and administrators at the TIES 2006 Education Technology Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota. My presentation, “Law and Technology: Why Legal Limits Don’t Have to Limit Teaching Options,” was designed to be a free-flowing discussion of legal issues surrounding the use of technology in the classroom. I expected a lot of questions about copyright, internet safety, and “best practices” for using technology in the classroom. What I did not expect, though, was bright lights and a camera operator. No one had mentioned that the presentation would be videotaped!

Ultimately, for me, it did not matter that I had not been advised the presentation would be videotaped. Presentations at conferences allow me to get the word out regarding important copyright and intellectual property issues and also help me market my legal practice. It occurred to me, though, that under the circumstances, it would have been very hard for me to say “no” had I not wanted the session to be videotaped. After all, the lights were up, the camera was on, and the room was full of people waiting for me to start. I have no idea what the camera operator would have done had I balked.