The powerhouse boutique New York firm Cowan, Liebowitz & Latman, PC remains a leader in the marketplace, advising major multinationals across such sectors as music, publishing, video games, sports, and retail on high-stakes copyright prosecution and litigation. Jonathan King heads the practice, representing key music recording and publishing clients, such as Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music and Atlantic Records. Seasoned litigator Richard Mandel brings over three decades of experience in the practice space to the team. Publishing sector expert Richard Dannay acts for Penguin Random House and other major market players, on high-stakes infringement cases and issues of fair use. Counsel Thomas Kjellberg specializes in the field of copyright licensing and enforcement. Eric Shimanoff, a veteran copyright lawyer with extensive experience at the federal and state levels, handles matters concerning web sites, social media, and NFTs. Joel Karni Schmidt provides key support on clearance, registration, and enforcement matters for a wide-ranging base of clients, which spans the video games, media, and retail sectors. Joelle Milov was promoted to partner in January 2023. Maria A. Scungio joined from Robinson & Cole LLP in February 2023. All the lawyers mentioned work in New York.

The trial and global disputes group at King & Spalding LLP remains a dominant force in the practice area, representing such major household names in media and entertainment and tech as Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Zoom, Google, ByteDance and Warner Media in high-stakes copyright litigation. Kenneth Steinthal in San Francisco heads the team, bringing over 40 years of trial experience and expertise on intellectual property rights and licensing to advise multinationals engaged in audiovisual media content distribution. Arwen Johnson in Los Angeles brings expertise to key names in entertainment, advising on Netflix and Warner Bros. on such matters as idea theft, copyright infringement and contract disputes. David Mattern in Washington DC advises service providers and tech platforms on matters involving the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

The team at Kirkland & Ellis LLP remains a market leader, advising multinational corporates across such tech, video games, aerospace, publishing and media sectors, including Epic Games, IBM, and Take-Two Interactive. Intellectual property authority Dale Cendali, who represented Oracle in the Supreme Court and throughout the long-running Google v Oracle case, heads the practice, bringing extensive experience to high-stakes infringement matters on behalf of celebrities, major motion picture studios and corporates in tech. Seasoned litigator Claudia Ray handles complex combined copyright and competition law matters in New York. Joshua Simmons supports Cendali in acting for clients across the tech and medical devices spaces. All lawyers mentioned work in the New York office. Miranda Means, who works at the firm’s Boston location, was promoted to partner in October 2023.

The market-leading US copyright team at Latham & Watkins LLP leverages the bench strength of a global presence spanning North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East to advise a client roster of major multinationals across such sectors as entertainment, tech, art, and generative AI, on high-stakes infringement litigation, including household names Spotify, Johnson & Johnson, and Live Nation. The practice is led by veteran IP litigators Andrew Gass in San Francisco and Sy Damle in Washington DC, who were lead counsels representing the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts in a widely-covered US Supreme Court case related to the “fair use” of copyrighted content and who are currently defending both OpenAI and Anthropic in widely-covered cases over alleged infringement, along with Digital Millennium Copyright Act expert Allison Levine Stillman in New York, and Joe Wetzel (also San Francisco), a specialist in the music and software sectors. Other key figures include tech litigation specialists Elana Nightingale Dawson at the DC office, and Britt Lovejoy in San Francisco. Gabe Fleet, who arrived at the New York office from broadcasting company iHeartMedia, joined the firm in March 2023.

The intellectual property group at Loeb & Loeb LLP remains a force in the marketplace, leveraging the deep bench strength of locations in the US and Asia, to represent household names such as Netflix and Paramount Pictures in high-stakes copyright litigation. The practice is led in Los Angeles by fashion, luxury, and retail sector expert Melanie Howard (who brings experience to matters involving cryptocurrency, blockchain and NFTs) and in New York by Barry Slotnick, a music and entertainment specialist whose past clients have included the Beastie Boys, David Guetta, and the J.R.R. Tolkien estate. David Grossman in Los Angeles is a go-to for major clients in film and television and successful defended Netflix and the Duffer Brothers in a copyright infringement lawsuit filed over the series Stranger Things. Jonathan Zavin handles matters for major recording and publishing clients in New York. Tal Dickstein, also in New York, works alongside Slotnick on film industry matters. Wook Hwang left the team in April 2024.

Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton leverages the experience of its team to represent major household names such as Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount, Amazon, and Meta in high-stakes litigation, in addition to providing comprehensive non-contentous advice on the management and expansion of their high-value international copyright portfolios. The team’s full service extends to matters of fair use, China-related copyright issues, secondary liability, joint authorship, work-for-hire agreements, and database protection. The practice is led by James Trigg, an expert in disputes involving textile prints and photographic works who operates out of the Atlanta and New York offices, and in Silicon Valley by Joe Petersen, an expert in litigation, arbitration, and administrative proceedings. In Los Angeles office, Kollin Zimmerman represents advises clients across the entertainment and consumer goods spaces on complex preliminary injunction motions. In New York, Rob Potter, who represents Sesame Workshop, brings extensive expertise to anti-counterfeiting, and counsels on NFTs.

The copyright team at global firm Mayer Brown brings strength to advising major multinational tech companies, streamers, and licensing associations involved in high-stakes litigation. The group’s full comprehensive offering extends to matters ranging from infringement, fair use defenses, and royalty audits to licensing, the DMCA and its safe harbor for internet service providers, and copyright issues related to AI. The practice is headed by Paul Fakler, who draws extensive experience representing clients before the Copyright Royalty Board and other royalty rate setting venues, and John Mancini, who litigates new media and internet disputes at the federal and state levels, and whose active client base includes Google and Spotify. Jacob Ebin represents clients before the US Department of Justice as part of its recurring reviews of the ASCAP and BMI Consent Decrees. Partner William Patry joined from Google in June 2023. All the lawyers mentioned work in the New York office.

A go-to firm for major video game developers and media and entertainment companies involved in high-stakes copyright litigation, Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP harnesses the combined bench strength of offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Washington DC to represent such multinational corporates as Shutterstock and Riot Games, across sectors ranging from media and tech to entertainment and food and beverages. The practice is led by Eleanor Lackman in New York, who brings extensive experience to acting in litigation for companies in tech, e-commerce, and fashion spheres; and in Los Angeles by Elaine Kim, who represents film and television studios in complex litigation, and Marc Mayer, who brings over 25 years’ experience to acting on behalf of video game publishers. In New York, music industry specialist Christine Lepera advises major solo artists, bands, and labels. In LA, Emily Evitt handles infringement claims on behalf of television and movie studios.

Bolstered by its January 2023 combination with San Francisco IP boutique Durie Tangri LLP, the group at Morrison Foerster leverages the bench strength of its team and the backing of a network spanning Asia, Europe, and the Americas, to represent major corporates in consumer products, education, and tech (including OpenAI and MetaPlatforms) involved in high-stakes copyright prosecution and litigation. The practice is co-chaired by a team of experienced tech litigators across the nation: Bita Rahebi in Los Angeles, Mark Whitaker in Washington DC, Brian Nash in Austin, and Timothy Chen Saulsbury in San Francisco. Joseph Gratz, the lead litigator for OpenAI, and firm IP practice co-founder Michael Jacobs, are key names in handling emerging tech matters, with an emphasis on high-profile cases involving the application of generative artificial intelligence. In Los Angeles, Allyson Bennett specializes in representing e-commerce platforms, TV studios, and social networks. Rose Lee was promoted to partner at the same office in January 2024, and provides expertise in copyright, patent, and trade secret matters.

The copyright group at Washington DC and New York-based intellectual property boutique firm Oppenheim + Zebrak Law, LLP leverages the bench strength of its team to represent major book and music publishers and record companies (including Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, Harper Collins, and Penguin Random House), involved in high-value infringement litigation. Especially of note is the firm’s involvement in UPMG, Concord Publishing, and ABKCO’s high-profile suit against Anthropic over the use of copyrighted material to train its generative AI system Claude. The group is headed in DC by music industry expert Matt Oppenheim and Scott Zebrak, who brings longstanding copyright and litigation experience to matters involving digital media and disruptive technologies. Alex Kaplan, a specialist in mass litigation brought by clients against social media companies and ISPs, heads the NY office, where Jenny Pariser, who arrived in September 2023 from the Motion Picture Association, draws on an extensive background in online copyright law. Also in DC, Michele Harrington Murphy acts in complex federal litigation involving counterfeiting, digital rights enforcement, licensing, and royalties disputes, and Jeff Gould acts in high-value matters for clients in the recording industry. Experienced copyright and trademark litigators Nick Hailey and Corey Miller in DC were promoted to partner in December 2023.

Leveraging the combined the bench strength of its Los Angeles and Miami locations, the experienced team of copyright music and entertainment industry specialists at New York-based firm Pryor Cashman LLP advise celebrities, brands, artists, and influencers on the management of their copyright assets and the safeguarding of them through high-stakes litigation. The practice is headed by Frank Scibilia, an experienced litigator who brings strength to acting for music publishers and record labels on transactional work, enforcement, due diligence, and rights clearance, and Ilene Farkas, who was promoted to practice leader in January 2024, and who advises artists, songwriters, and producers on music industry disputes and DMCA safe harbor defenses. Donald Zakarin and James Sammataro, who works at the Florida office, bring strength to infringement litigation and matters involving secondary liability. Ben Semel brings strength to litigation over music royalties and whose clients include Warner Music Group and the National Music Publishers’ Association. Key support is provided by Brian Maida. Unless noted, all lawyers mentioned work in New York.

The copyright team at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP draws on the strength of the firm's global network to advise and represent social media platforms, digital music streamers, book publishers, insurers, and companies in the consumer electronics, pharma, and e-commerce sectors on a comprehensive spectrum of copyright issues, ranging from infringement and licensing disputes to secondary liability and DMCA compliance. The practice is headed by Benjamin Marks, who specializes in music copyright royalty cases and acts for clients in litigation involving emerging tech, such as generative AI. Randi Singer brings experience to representing clients in the publishing, social media, and e-commerce spaces, including Meta and eBay, involved in high-stakes infringement matters. Todd Larson provides expertise in royalty rate-setting proceedings and the negotiation of music publishing and sound recording performance licenses. All lawyers mentioned work in New York.

ArentFox Schiff draws on the bench strength of its national presence to advise household names in tech, retail, entertainment, automobiles, manufacturing, and fashion, including Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Warner Bros. Discovery, Ferrari, Amazon, and Tesla, on high-stakes litigation and the management of their international copyright portfolios. The practice is headed in Washington DC by fashion law expert Anthony Lupo, who has acted for Diane von Furstenberg, Yves Saint Laurent, Jimmy Choo, and Valentino. US and Venezuela-qualified litigator Ricardo Fischer, also in DC, heads the firm’s trademark team and advises clients in the pharma, confectionary, and coffee industries. In New York, Michelle Mancino Marsh, who heads the firm’s consumer products group, assists major corporates in media, financial services, and agricultural products, with intellectual property strategy and disputes at the state and federal levels. Matthew Finkelstein operates out of the Boston office, and also in New York, where along with Ross Charap, he advises creatives (including songwriters and recording artists) on the exercising of their termination rights.

The intellectual property group at Arnold & Porter brings strength to defending the copyright portfolios of major sports leagues, broadcast and cable networks, and film studios involved in high-stakes litigation. The practice is led by experienced intellectual property litigators Matthew Wolf, a tech sector specialist in Washington DC, and Dina Hayes, who utilises complex litigation to confront counterfeiting in Chicago. Representing household names in broadcasting and film production, Dori Hanswirth brings media and entertainment expertise to the firm’s New York office, along with Theresa House, who, in addition to entertainment files, also advises on complex First Amendment issues. Rhonda Trotter at the Los Angeles office currently represents consumer credit company Experian in ongoing matters. In Washington DC, counsel Michael Kientzle gives focus to sports matters, representing Major League Baseball, the NBA, WNBA, NCAA, NFL, and the NHL. In Los Angeles, counsel Oscar Ramallo employs a skill set in every stage of copyright litigation, drawing on a background as a clerk for Chief Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

New York-based firm Davis+Gilbert LLP employs the bench strength of its experienced team to advise such household names as Little Caesars on the management and protection of their global copyright portfolios. The practice is headed by advertising and marketing expert Ronald Urbach, who brings expertise to clients across such spaces as the automotive industry, electronics, and food and beverages. Marc Rachman specializes in complex disputes involving music, photo, pictorial, sculptural, and literary works. Seasoned IP litigator, arbitrator, and mediator Guy Cohen draws on over 25 years of experience in the IP space to represent businesses in media, consumer goods, manufacturing, and retail. Sara Edelman acts for content creators, advertising agencies, and fashion companies. Ashima Dayal, a specialist in disputes over the usage of third-party content, advises authors, book publishers, filmmakers, and fashion designers. Key support is provided by associate Danielle Zolot. Louis DiLorenzo was promoted to partner in January 2024. All the lawyers mentioned work in the New York.

DLA Piper LLP (US) harnesses the bench strength of a global network  to provide a full range of management and enforcement services and to safeguard the copyrights of major multinational clients (including Pfizer, Nike, and Midjourney) involved in high-stakes litigation. The practice’s active client base spans industries ranging from apparel, fitness, media and entertainment to hospitality, tech, consumer goods, and financial services. The team is led by seasoned intellectual property litigator Tamar Duvdevani in New York, who specializes in the fashion retail and consumer goods sectors. Gina Durham in San Francisco, deputy practice leader of the firm’s IP and technology group, who brings expertise to matters involving copyright, trade dress, false advertising, and AI. Kevin Fee in Washington DC, who draws on extensive copyright litigation experience at the trial and appellate levels. Also in DC, senior associate Rachel Fertig, who counsels clients across such sectors as art, tech, music, and media sectors, and associate Jane Wise, whose client base includes consumer products manufacturers, publishers, retailers, and financial institutions.

The copyright group at Fenwick & West LLP pairs the bench strength of locations across North America and Asia with the experience of its team, to provide household name corporates (including Meta, Amazon, Netflix, and OpenAI) with a comprehensive offering, from portfolio management and transactional support to representation in high-stakes infringement litigation. The practice’s active client base spans the software, tech, media, e-commerce, and publishing sectors. The group is led in San Francisco by tech transaction expert Jennifer Stanley, who advises OpenAI on copyright matters, and experienced software sector expert Laurence Pulgram, who brings over 30 years of experience. The team is supported in Silicon Valley by David Hayes, a seasoned litigator who brings expertise to software copyright infringement disputes. In New York, Mark Jansen advises tech clients involved in areas ranging from AI and blockchain to AR/VR and the gaming industry.  Also in San Francisco, Jedediah Wakefield chairs the firm’s litigation practice and represents tech and life sciences companies, and counsel Tracy Randall advises on digital distribution business models.

The intellectual property group at Katten utilizes the deep bench strength of offices in the US and in Shanghai and London to advise on high-profile copyright claims involving household names in media, entertainment, tech and fashion. The team is headed in New York by global chair Deepro Mukerjee and Karen Artz Ash, a fashion sector specialist, who represents luxury brand designers, retailers, and apparel manufacturers; Floyd Mandell in Chicago, who draws on over 20 years of IP litigation experience; and music industry expert Zia Modabber, the managing partner entertainment and media litigation chair at the Los Angeles office, whose clients have included Stevie Wonder and Trent Reznor (also known his work as Nine Inch Nails). Also in LA, David Halberstadter and Joel Weiner (whose clients include Will Smith and Sony Pictures) bring expertise to copyright disputes in film and television. Tami Kameda Sims departed the practice for a role at Warner Bros. Discovery in June 2023.

The team at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP leverages the bench strength of its ten national offices to represent major music and entertainment industry clients involved in high-stakes litigation. The practice is headed by veteran entertainment litigator Robert Jacobs, a specialist in music industry matters. Jessica Wood brings expertise to prosecution, litigation, and transactional matters across such sectors as tech, software, digital media, and fashion. Nathaniel Bach, who handles complex matters involving royalties and the right of publicity, acts for a wide client base of film and television studios, music publishers, and journalists. All lawyers mentioned work in the firm’s Los Angeles office.

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP channels the bench strength of a global network spanning the Americas, EMEA, and Asia Pacific regions, to advise household names in such sectors as tech, media, and the automotive industry on the management and safeguarding of their international copyright portfolios. The practice’s comprehensive service covers matters ranging from counseling on fair use, licensing, and prosecution, to US Copyright Office registration procedures and infringement class actions. The practice is headed by two seasoned intellectual propertyu litigators: Anita Polott in Washington DC, and Josh Dalton in Boston. Meaghan Kent, who operates out of the DC and Miami offices, brings expertise to portfolio development, risk mitigation, and enforcement strategies. Displaying particular strength in the tech sector, Carla Oakley, who operates in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, counsels on matters involving social media and rights of publicity. Of counsel Lindsay Shin in San Francisco brings strength to software industry matters. In October 2023, Andrew Antczak, Victor Ghidu, and Kelly Plummer, were all promoted to partner.

Harnessing the bench strength of locations across the US, Europe and Asia, O'Melveny & Myers LLP represents such entertainment household names as Disney, Warner Bros. Entertainment, and Paramount Pictures, in high-stakes litigation. The team is headed in Los Angeles by experienced intellectgual property and tech litigator Ryan Yagura, along with Molly Lens (at the Century City office), who co-leads the firm’s entertainment, sports, and media industry group, and who specializes in motion picture industry copyright termination matters. In San Francisco, David Eberhart handles complex infringement claims for tech industry clients. At the Century City location, firm vice-chair Daniel Petrocelli brings entertainment litigation expertise, having recently (along with Drew Breuder) successfully defended Disney in a case related to an infringement claim regarding the film Zootopia.

The copyright team at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP draws on the bench strength of its national footprint to represent major multinationals in tech, media, and telecoms involved in high-stakes litigation. Headed by IP group leader Clement Seth Roberts in San Francisco and IP business co-chair Alyssa Caridis in Los Angeles, the practice’s comprehensive offering covers preliminary injunctions and complex class action suits. In San Francisco, Annette Hurst provides experience in software disputes and challenges to the usage of generative AI for such clients as Microsoft. In Boston, seasoned litigator David Hosp acts for clients in tech and media. Robert Uriarte in Silicon Valley brings expertise to advising start-ups on security and internet law issues. Nathan Shaffer in San Francisco, who was a member of the trial team in Oracle v. Google, handles injunctions, and dispositive motion practice and damages determinations.

The US copyright practice at global firm Proskauer Rose LLP represents high-profile clients in music and entertainment involved in complex infringement litigation. The practice was recently involved in the obtainment of a settlement for Miramax in its high-profile copyright and breach of contract claim against director Quentin Tarantino concerning his intention to issue Pulp Fiction NFTs. The practice is led in Los Angeles by Sandra Crawshaw-Sparks, a music industry expert and seasoned litigator, who acts as National Legal Counsel for the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. (the not-for-profit responsible for the Grammy Awards) and specializes in the negotiation of pre-litigation and pre-trial resolutions. In New York, David Munkittrick, who was promoted to partner in November 2023, acts for a wide base of clients across such sectors as music, medical devices, publishing, sports, and tech.

Utilising the bench strength of its global footprint, the team at Winston & Strawn LLP represents major corporates in telecoms (including Cox Communications), financial services, media, entertainment, construction, engineering, video game publishing, and medical devices involved in high-value infringement litigation. The practice is led by Michael Elkin in New York, who brings expertise to acting for entertainment and digital media companies; Jennifer Golinveaux in San Francisco, who, along with Elkin, defends internet service providers against secondary liability claims for infringement; and David Enzminger in Los Angeles, who specializes in technology litigation. Diana Leiden, also in LA, brings expertise to advising tech and media clients on the provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Sean Anderson in NY was promoted to partner in January 2024. Seth Spitzer and Erin Ranahan departed for in-house roles in April and June of 2023.