Industry

Media and Entertainment

Go-to firm for high-stakes litigation in the entertainment industry

We help film and television studios, record labels, content creators and social media platforms handle their highest-profile matters, defending the intellectual property behind blockbuster franchises, obtaining multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements against infringers, handling sensitive internal investigations, guiding billion-dollar mergers through challenging antitrust reviews and addressing new issues regarding NFTs and copyright termination. Ranked in Band 1 in Media and Entertainment – California by Chambers USA, and listed as a Law360 Practice Group of the Year, the Munger, Tolles & Olson Media and Entertainment practice has set and defended precedents that have shaped the entertainment industry.

Services

Our broad-ranging Media and Entertainment practice includes the following areas:

Copyright and Intellectual Property

Mass piracy
Copyright infringement
Licensing and Distribution

Antitrust Matters

Monopolization
Restraint of Trade
Anticompetitive Agreements

Licensing and Participation

Affiliated Dealing
Audit Disputes
Streaming Services

Internal Matters and Business Disputes

Internal Investigations
Class Actions
Product Counseling

Clients

We represent media and entertainment leaders who trust both our advice and our effectiveness in litigation, including:

A + E Studios
Disney
Fox Broadcasting
Marvel Studios
NBCUniversal
Paramount Pictures
Sony Music Entertainment
Warner Bros.

Activision Blizzard
ESPN
Hulu
Motion Picture Association
Netflix
Recording Industry Assoc. of America
Sony Pictures
Warner Music Group

CCA
Fox
Lucasfilm
National Geographic
Paramount
Snap
Universal Music Group

Related Practices

Our nationally ranked attorneys have addressed a wide range of challenges for entertainment and media clients, including:

Team

Experience

Our representations include:

Major film studios against claims of copyright infringement from a vendor’s unlicensed use of motion-capture software.
Walt Disney Company in favorably settling claims that the basic elements of genre movies can be copyrighted.
The Recording Industry Association of America in litigation to make stream-ripping services illegal.
A major film studio navigating recently relaxed Department of Justice rules on owning chains of movie theaters.
Film and television studios in successful battles against illegal streaming services.
Publishers, film studios and television productions against claims of copyright infringement for ideas and characters.
Netflix in legal action over the commercialization of a fan musical based on its hit show Bridgerton.

Contact

Glenn D. Pomerantz

Kelly M. Klaus

Rose Leda Ehler