Kenneth J. Sanney joined Day & Blair, PC in 2007.  Ken specializes in copyright, trademark, and entertainment law and litigation.  Ken has represented plaintiffs and defendants in both state and federal court.  Prior to joining Day & Blair, Ken was a partner at the Franklin, Tennessee law firm of Byrd & Associates, PLC. 

Ken’s interest in music, intellectual property law, and the recording and entertainment industries led him to accept, in 2006, an appointment as an adjunct professor in the Department of Recording Industry, College of Mass Communication at Middle Tennessee State University.  Ken teaches courses on copyright law, entertainment contracts, and other legal topics relating to the music business.

In 2007, Ken was sworn in and served as a special judge for the General Sessions Court of Williamson County, Tennessee.  As a special judge, Ken presided over a bench trial regarding a breach of contract cause of action and rendered a verdict that was not appealed. 

Ken is a 2002 graduate of Vanderbilt University’s Joint Law/Divinity program where he received a Masters degree in Theological Studies (M.T.S.) with a concentration in ethics from the Divinity School and a Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) degree from the Law School. 

While at the Law School, Ken served as the Chief Justice of the Vanderbilt Moot Court Board, as Notes Editor of the Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment Law & Practice (JELP), and as a member of the Honor Council.

Ken is a published author.  He wrote “Cyberjacking, Mousetrapping, and the FTC Act: Are Federal Consumer Protection Laws Helping or Hurting Online Consumers?” which was published in the Spring 2001 edition of JELP.

Upon graduation from Vanderbilt University Law School, Ken was awarded one of Vanderbilt Law School’s highest honors: the Bennett Douglas Bell Memorial Award. This annual award is bestowed upon the graduating student who is not only well versed in the law, but who embodies the highest conception of the ethics of the profession.  This is the only award whose recipient is chosen by the vote of the entire Law School faculty.

Prior to graduate school, Ken received his undergraduate education at Central Michigan University, where he was awarded a Bachelor of Science magna cum laude in History and Political Science with a concentration in International Relations and Comparative Politics.

Ken is active in many bar associations including the American Bar Association, Tennessee Bar Association, Williamson County Bar Association, and the Tennessee Bar Association’s Intellectual Property Section.

Prior to attending college, Ken served his country as a military policeman (security police) in the U.S. Air Force.  Ken was a member of NATO during the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union.  Ken also served in support of the first Persian Gulf Conflict, Operation Desert Storm. 

Volunteering has been an important part of Ken’s life. He currently volunteers for the Tennessee Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, where he provides free legal assistance and education to low-income artists of all disciplines and emerging nonprofit arts organizations located in the greater Nashville area. He is also a member of the board of directors of CASA, a nonprofit organization that advocates for children in the Williamson County Juvenile Court system. Other nonprofit organizations Ken has been involved with include the United Way, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, and the American Red Cross.

Ken’s interest in entertainment law comes directly from his upbringing in Motown and his family’s roots in the South.  Ken is a native of Detroit, Michigan. His family, however, hailed from further south in Tennessee and West Virginia.  Growing up, Ken listened to a very eclectic mix of music ranging from R&B to rock-n-roll to the country music that migrated with his family from the South. “The soundtrack of my earliest memories contains a heavy dose of Marvin Gaye, Roy Orbison, Bob Seger, Eric Clapton, and Johnny Cash among others.”

Ken is frequently asked to speak to artists, entertainers, other creative persons and attorneys regarding copyrights, trademarks, and other legal topics.  Ken has been a feature presenter for the Nashville Songwriters Association International and contributed to the discussions at the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Conference on Collective Management of Copyright and Related Rights in North America.  Ken is also a frequent guest on NPR’s “On the Record” broadcast from WMOT-FM 89.5 and also available on iTunes.

Contact Ken at ksanney@dayblair.com