Ober|Kaler Principal Scott Johnson Elected Chair of Maryland State Arts Council

BALTIMORE, MD — July 28, 2008 E. Scott Johnson, Chair of the Intellectual Property practice at Baltimore-based law firm Ober|Kaler, has been elected Chair of the Maryland State Arts Council. His one-year term became effective July 1, 2008.

Johnson received a gubernatorial appointment to the Arts Council in 2004, and was re-appointed in 2007 by Governor O'Malley. A tireless advocate for the Maryland arts community, Johnson is immediate past president of the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation and past president of Maryland Lawyers for the Arts, CityLit Project and Young Audiences of Maryland, which awarded him the 2006 Founder’s "Arts Champion" Award. He has served on the board of the Creative Alliance and chaired its strategic planning committee. He currently serves as Chair of the Arts Council's Advisory Committee for the recently launched statewide strategic planning process entitled "Imagine Maryland" and will lead the Council as it coordinates that initiative during the coming months.

"Maryland's Arts Council is recognized as one of the nation's best state arts agencies," stated Scott Johnson. "I am energized by the opportunity to lead the Council during this important planning period, in which our priorities for the next five years will be established. In particular, I will be focusing on enhancing professional development opportunities for Maryland's artists, and increasing general operating support to Maryland's arts organizations."

As a principal with Ober|Kaler, Johnson works with a wide range of intellectual property issues that affect individuals, companies, nonprofits and educational institutions. His work in the entertainment and media fields includes the preparation and negotiation of film and television production and co-production agreements, recording contracts, personal management agreements, music publishing agreements, video/film synchronization licenses, book publishing contracts, public art commissions and rights clearance, fair use and new media issues.

Johnson was selected one of Baltimore's top attorneys in the April 2003 issue of Baltimore Magazine. He was listed in "Who’s Who in Intellectual Property Law" in the December 2000 issue of the Baltimore Business Journal and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America in two categories: Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law. He was also selected for Maryland Super Lawyers, 2008. Johnson is a Fellow of the Maryland Bar Foundation. He is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Maryland and received his J.D. cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center.

About the Maryland State Arts Council
The mission of the MSAC is to encourage and invest in the advancement of the arts for the people of Maryland by supporting artists and arts organizations in their pursuit of artistic excellence; ensuring accessibility of the arts to all citizens; and by promoting statewide awareness of arts resources and opportunities. A DBED economic impact study showed that 14 million people attended state-funded arts events during the 2007 fiscal year. More than 15,000 Marylanders are employed in nonprofit arts organizations, a $1.2 billion industry for the state.

About Ober|Kaler
Ober|Kaler is a national law firm providing integrated regulatory, transaction and litigation services to financial, health care, construction, and other business organizations. The firm has more than 125 attorneys in offices in Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and Falls Church.

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