As a former singer/songwriter, Charles understands the legal issues that frequently confront musicians in the early stages of their careers. At the same time, Charles has handled legal matters for Grammy-award-winning artists whose albums have sold in the millions. In each case, the legal services needed are surprisingly similar:
- Negotiation of fair terms among artists, record labels, publishing companies, and other music industry entities
- Counseling musicians on compulsory licensing rules and fair use issues, especially in the sampling context
- Licensing an artist's right of publicity and trademark rights, and seeking recourse when those rights have been infringed; conversely, defending against claimants who seek to unreasonably expand the scope of such rights
- Obtaining all necessary intellectual property registrations, both in the U.S. and abroad, to protect a musician's brand and creative works; preventing others from unlawfully exploiting that brand and its supporting works, especially in the online environment
