Entertainment Litigation
Jackson Walker’s entertainment litigation attorneys handle every type of civil dispute pertaining to the entertainment industry, enabling our broad range of entertainment clients to solve their business challenges and protect their creative works. Our attorneys take an aggressive, but strategic, approach toward the protection and enforcement of our clients’ rights – from minor disputes to precedent-setting cases.
With a strong understanding of the entertainment industry’s various subsets, businesses, and nuances, Jackson Walker has extensive experience in litigation matters concerning rights ownership disputes, royalty disputes, idea submission disputes, copyright infringement, trademark infringement, cybersquatting, Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) domain name disputes, right of privacy violations, defamation claims, and more.
Jackson Walker has represented businesses and individuals around the country at both the state and federal levels, as well as in mediation and arbitration proceedings before providers including the American Arbitration Association (AAA), Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services, Inc. (JAMS), and the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA).
Jackson Walker has also served as go-to local counsel for premiere entertainment law firms out of New York and California for entertainment litigation pending in Texas courts.
While we are proud of our years of courtroom success, Jackson Walker attorneys bring their experience in the complex world of entertainment transactions and digital to bear to help clients craft deals and agreements with the goal of minimizing risk and resolving matters outside of litigation.
- Defense and prosecution of copyright and trademark claims for various industry clients
- Defense of various television networks and celebrities in defamation cases involving traditional and online media
- Defense of major film studio in right of publicity case involving a successful feature film
- Representation of film production company in dispute over film distribution agreement and royalty payments and accountings
- Representation of producers in film production finance agreement disputes
- Representation of large independent music publisher in multi-jurisdictional dispute over music catalog of prolific songwriter
- Representation of entertainment company in dispute over ownership of new media technology for the music industry
- Representation of concert promoter in artist performance agreement dispute
- Representation of various commercial businesses against copyright licensing claims asserted by music and film performance rights organizations
- Defense of major book publisher in copyright infringement suit
- Representation of video game developer in First Amendment dispute
- Defense of online service provider in multi-million dollar online photography copyright infringement suit
- Defense of various entertainment and media companies in online photography cases involving claims of copyright infringement and violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)
- Defense of magazine publisher in trademark dispute with competitor
- Defense of major reality television production company in suits involving unfair labor practice claims, including Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) claims
- Local counsel to various entertainment industry clients in the prosecution or defense of copyright and trademark infringement claims brought in Texas
May 25, 2023
Newsletters
JW Media | VIA ePostcard – May/June 2023
View the May/June 2023 edition of the JW Media | VIA ePostcard.
May 25, 2023
Insights
On Section 230, SCOTUS Says It Best When It Says Nothing At All
In the space of a three-page per curiam opinion, Gonzalez v. Google went from blockbuster to nothingburger. The first (and, therefore, the biggest) Section 230 case to be considered on the merits by the U.S. Supreme Court, Gonzalez was widely billed as the case that could break the internet, garnering headlines and attracting armies of amici on both sides.
By Marc Fuller & Hannah Walsh
May 23, 2023
Attorney News
Nancy Hamilton Honored With Denis B. Kemball-Cook Award by Skidmore College
First Amendment litigation partner Nancy Hamilton was recently presented with the Denis B. Kemball-Cook Award from her alma mater, Skidmore College, in honor of her long-time support and involvement as Chair of the Board of Trustees.
May 3, 2023
Insights
The Latest on What Media Employers Should Know About the FTC’s Proposed Ban on Non-Competes
By Jamila Brinson
If I were a betting woman, I would say what remains top of mind for most media employers in 2023 remains the Federal Trade Commission’s January 5 proposed rule banning employers from utilizing non-compete clauses with their employees. The FTC’s proposal has led other employment attorneys to ask the question: Can we really imagine a world without non-competes and, if not, what are media employers doing about it?
May 3, 2023
Newsletters
JW Media | VIA ePostcard – May 2023
View the May 2023 edition of the JW Media | VIA ePostcard.
February 27, 2023
Mentions
Supreme Court Decision Will Have Global Impact on Free Speech Online | ARTICLE 19
Gonzalez v Google and Twitter v Taamneh are landmark cases concerning the foundations of free expression on the internet: Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects platforms from liability for content posted by users.
November 9, 2022
Attorney News
Emilio Nicolas Joins Austin PBS Board
Emilio B. Nicolas has joined the board of Austin PBS (KLRU-TV), a locally owned and operated nonprofit public media station in Central Texas, and one of the most prolific PBS member stations in the country.
October 18, 2022
Podcasts
Election Ads 101: Five Facts About the First Amendment and Political Advertising
JW Fast Takes Podcast | ~9 minutes
With the 2022 midterm elections around the corner and the 2024 presidential election less than two years away, candidates from all parties are intensifying efforts to reach voters through the media and, in more recent cycles, social networks. In this episode, Paul Watler walks through five facts candidates should know when publishing or broadcasting political ads this election cycle.
October 7, 2022
Attorney News
Jackson Walker Congratulates 36 Attorneys Named Among the Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America
Jackson Walker announces the selection of 36 attorneys to Lawdragon’s inaugural list of the 500 leading litigators in America.
