Ziffren Calls for Fin-Syn Revival, Urges Federal AI
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- Ken Ziffren, a 1965 UCLA Law graduate with 50+ years in Hollywood legal work, is launching the 50th anniversary UCLA Law Entertainment Symposium on Thursday at Schoenberg Auditorium, drawing about 600 attendees and speakers including Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Tom Wolzien, Donald S. Passman and Linda Lichter.
- Ziffren proposes reviving fin-syn-style rules for streamers, requiring them to commit a percentage of schedule to independent production companies with no streaming interest, and capping deals at first-cycle rights rather than 20-year terms.
- In 1976, the industry had a federal film and TV tax credit plus the FCC's financial interest in syndication rule, a combination Ziffren credits with producing 'the best times in our history.'
- Ziffren describes AI as in 'Phase 1' — a cost-control tool — and says directors and actors have 'solved the major problem' because human authorship is required for copyright protection.
- Ziffren expects a 'cacophony of decisions' from courts in pending AI copyright cases and says he is 'hopeful' for federal legislation within two years that resolves the judicial split.
- Ziffren notes the number of series and programs has been declining over the last four years but says indie producers now have more opportunity to compete than before.
- Ziffren served as L.A.'s film czar under former Mayor Eric Garcetti and founded UCLA Law's Ziffren Institute for Media, Entertainment, Technology and Sports Law about 12 years ago.
Why it matters: A 50-year Hollywood dealmaker publicly pressing for fin-syn revival puts structural pressure on streamers' content budgets and licensing terms, while his two-year timeline for federal AI action frames the pending copyright lawsuits as a stopgap rather than a solution. Both proposals target the same audience: regulators and legislators who set the rules streamers currently write for themselves.
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