Superb writing skills can take you a long way. Melanie Sallis (J.D. ‘25), a law student at Georgia State University College of Law, recently embarked on this promising path with an award-winning essay that took her to the 2025 GRAMMY awards.
Sallis wrote about redirecting funds generated from copyright-infringing music content back to its original artists. She won first place in the Recording Academy’s annual Entertainment Law Initiative (ELI) Writing Contest for her essay titled "Beyond Takedowns: Expanding Music Monetization Tools to Support All Artists." Sallis will receive an award next year at the 27th Annual Entertainment Law Initiative in Los Angeles, California.
“Professor Mo Ivory and Reid Koski (J.D. ‘25) encouraged me to enter the contest,” Sallis said. “My paper proposes widespread adoption of Content ID-style programs across social media platforms, similar to YouTube’s system.”
Content ID-style programs match copyrighted audio to a reference library supplied by original artists and their labels, a technology known as acoustic fingerprinting. When copyrighted content is detected, artists can manage the use of their work by choosing to receive a portion of the ad revenue or by blocking access to the content.
Making sure artists are compensated for their creative work has long been the subject of Sallis’s research. Nancy Prager, guest lecturer and entertainment attorney, spoke to Professor Ivory’s Legal Life of... class, sharing her real-world expertise on intellectual property in the entertainment industry. Sallis made a connection that added valuable insights to her ongoing work.
Ivory, director for the Center for Entertainment, Sports and Intellectual Property, knew that Sallis would be a strong candidate to submit an essay based on her exemplary writing skills, and she encouraged Sallis to connect with Prager to focus in on a strong topic.
“When Melanie told me her topic, I immediately advised her to speak with Attorney Prager, who has a deep knowledge of the subject matter,” she said. “That relationship, created in the classroom, led to a fantastic piece of scholarly research that displayed what Melanie has learned over the years in this program, which is how to apply the law to today's modern legal issues, and it won her the competition.”
The annual ELI Writing Contest challenges law students to explore contemporary legal issues in the music industry and propose solutions.
The competition, co-sponsored by the American Bar Association (ABA), challenges law students to explore contemporary legal issues in the music industry and propose solutions. As the winner, Sallis received a $10,000 scholarship, and her paper will be published in the ABA’s Entertainment & Sports Lawyer journal. She also got the opportunity to attend the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards and MusiCares Person of the Year Gala honoring the Grateful Dead rock band.
For Sallis, winning the contest was more than just an academic achievement—it was an opportunity to engage with professionals in the entertainment law field and get firsthand exposure to the industry.
“Watching the best musicians perform live was an unforgettable experience,” she said.
Sallis’ newfound acclaim for her scholarly work sets her up for a promising career in entertainment law.
“This recognition opens doors I could only have dreamed of in the entertainment law industry,” she said. “My goal is to move to California and continue working to protect artists and their work.”
-Written by Lauren Allred