Entertainment Industry Practice
Overview
BCLP’s Entertainment Industry practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and financing transactions in the entertainment and media industries, and on providing a wide array of services, including handling sophisticated litigation, intellectual property, regulatory, tax, bankruptcy and restructuring and labor and employment matters, to assist our clients throughout the world in developing their businesses, protecting, defending and commercializing their rights, operating efficiently within complex legal and regulatory environments and achieving liquidity.
Our entertainment clients include motion picture and television studios; major record labels; independent producers of theatrical films, television programming, commercials and music videos; animation studios; distributors of filmed entertainment; motion picture exhibitors; individual producers, directors and writers of filmed entertainment; television, satellite, cable, Internet and radio broadcasters; new media technologies; and Internet and Web-related entertainment and media companies. We also collaborate closely with our Marketing and Advertising Practice, allowing us to provide guidance and assistance across all types of sponsored content, including native advertising, paid placements and branded integrations.
Our entertainment experience includes:
- Entity formation, assistance with corporate governance and ongoing support of operational activities
- Venture capital, private equity and strategic investments, as well as other equity financing transactions
- Debt financing transactions, including credit facilities, bridge loans and venture debt
- Mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic alliances
- Recapitalizations and restructurings, including spin-offs and split-offs
- Acquisitions and dispositions of film libraries and music catalogs
- IPOs and other public securities offerings, including public company compliance and SEC regulatory matters
- Negotiating licensing, production, financing, distribution, syndication, endorsement, sponsored content, branded integration and sales agency agreements
- Labor and employment matters, including negotiating executive employment agreements and incentive compensation plans and handling SAG-AFTRA and other union and guild issues
- Acquiring, licensing and protecting intellectual property rights, including intellectual property litigation
- General commercial litigation and litigation involving defamation, privacy, right of publicity, false advertising and other content-related claims, including experience with anti-SLAPP laws
- Tax planning
- Regulatory matters, such as TCPA, CAN-SPAM and ADA compliance
- Contests, sweepstakes, giveaways and loyalty programs
Meet The Team
EMEA Regional Leader – Litigations & Investigations and Co-Global Practice Group Leader – Business and Commercial Disputes, London
Experience
- Lead Counsel for CNN in getting libel claims dismissed in a case brought by a Presidential campaign over an op-ed piece in Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. v. CNN Broadcasting, Inc.
- Lead counsel for CNN in getting libel claims dismissed over on-air commentary in Project Veritas v. CNN
- Represented Playtech in connection with the sale of its financial trading division to Gopher Investments and its investment in Hard Rock Digital
- Represent Universal Music Group (UMG), the world’s largest music company, on a variety of matters, including in connection with a number of acquisition, joint venture, investment and other commercial transactions
- Represented Comcast Corporation in connection with numerous transactions, including the acquisition of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and the formation of FearNet
- Represented WildBrain Ltd. in the acquisition of an 80% interest in Peanuts, and in the related joint venture with the Schulz Family
- Represented WildBrain Ltd. in the sale of a minority interest in Peanuts to, and related joint venture with, Sony Music Entertainment
- Represented major labels and other music companies in the acquisitions and sales of record labels, distributors, artist and label services providers, music catalogs, music merchandisers and music streaming services
- Represented Dolby Laboratories in connection with its acquisition of naming rights for the Dolby Theatre, home of the Academy Awards
- Represented a major music company in a joint venture for the development of a talent competition in the metaverse
- Represented various operators of immersive experiences in developing, financing and entering into joint ventures with respect to new locations and events
- Represented Awards Media in the acquisition of a YouTube multi-channel network
- Represented the Academy Award winning producer of “Shrek” in connection with various film financing, investment, corporate governance and employment matters
- Served as defense counsel to a Grammy Award winning hip hop artist in a series of high profile copyright infringement lawsuits
- Represented Sephora USA in suit brought by Sophia Loren and the estate of Marilyn Monroe in claim for misappropriation of name and likeness
- Defended trademark infringement action involving the Oscar in a claim brought by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences against the world’s largest statuette manufacturer
- Handled numerous endorsement and product support agreements and “influencer” and “celebrity meets internet” transactions with celebrities such as Brazilian soccer player Ronaldinho, Jimmy Connors, Melissa “Missy” Franklin, Jimmie Johnson, Mike Krzyzewski (“Coach K”), NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes, Nick Saban, Deion Sanders, Brendan Shanahan, Kurt Warner, Sandra Bullock, Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jessica Simpson and Mr. T, and with celebrity models, stylists, makeup artists and dermatologists, including Bridget Moynahan, Amber Valletta, Shalom Harlow and various Victoria’s Secret models, and products of companies such as Maybelline, L’Oréal and Revlon
- Represented Turner Sports in connection with various intellectual property matters
- Represented a motion picture producer in contract negotiations for the purchase of movie and television rights to a Newberry Award winning novel
- Advised a major retailer on its cornerstone advertising campaign, including securing licensing rights to an entertainment franchise, a high-profile celebrity talent agreement, music licenses, advertising agency and payroll service agreements and a production agreement, as well as compliance with its SAG-AFTRA Commercials Contract
- Provided legal support to a major media company for the build-out of an online subscription service
- Assisted a quasi-governmental agency in establishing a trademark portfolio and sponsorship program
- Advise a major online media company on recurring contests and sweepstakes related to its annual in-person events, including drafting rules, negotiating sponsorship agreements and assisting with development of on-site activations