Successfully resolving disputes involving entertainment and media businesses and individuals requires a unique combination of in-depth industry knowledge, business acumen and legal savvy. Paul Hastings can help.

A Leader in Entertainment and Media Litigation

Our Entertainment and Media Litigation Group is widely recognized as one of the country’s leading practices, experienced in handling almost any type of contentious problem that might arise in the industry, including contract disputes, partnership and joint-venture disputes, antitrust litigation, intellectual property litigation (including copyright, trademark, privacy and trade secrets claims) and business tort claims. We represent a wide variety of clients, from motion picture studios, television networks, and independent production companies to private equity and other entertainment investment entities, music companies, electronic game companies and leading individuals such as directors, writers, producers and songwriters.

Representative Client Successes

• Represented United Talent Agency in securing a dismissal in the trial court, affirmed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, of an antitrust and business tort lawsuit challenging the agency business practice of “packaging”.

• Successfully defended Warner Bros. in a major class action alleging that participants in Warner Bros. and MGM motion pictures were improperly paid royalties on the exploitation of motion pictures in various home video formats.

• Represented global pop star Kesha in helping her get back to work during highly contentious litigation – work that aided the release of her Grammy-nominated Rainbow album and in First Amendment appeal on public figure status of producer. The litigation raised historic challenges on behalf of artists seeking to record free of abusive working conditions.

• Obtained summary judgment and attorneys' fees for Life is Beautiful Music Festival in a trademark and copyright suit (affirmed on appeal)

• Successfully led the defense of several idea theft cases involving tentpole properties like Zootopia and The Last Samurai resulting in full defense verdicts for major motion picture studios.

• Secured the dismissal of a defamation claim for a Real Housewives of Orange County star on an anti-SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) motion and won attorney’s fees award for client.

• Successfully defended Universal Pictures and Legendary Entertainment against a nine-figure class action claim alleging multiple violations of the Telephone Communications Protection Act (TCPA) in connection with the marketing campaign for the motion picture Warcraft.

• Successfully prosecuted, on behalf of Walt Disney Pictures, a trademark infringement action of Disney’s rights in the motion picture Frozen.

• Successfully represented Activision, in an interrelated series of lawsuits relating to the development of and profit distributions from of the best-selling Call of Duty series of video games.

• Led the confidential investigations of alleged misconduct by senior executives in numerous influential media companies.