The sports and entertainment industries have been hotbeds of new and novel legal issues, including legalized sports betting, NIL deals, online gaming, developments in AI, and opportunities in streaming. Representing professional athletes, entertainers, authors, publishers, artists, photographers, composers, models, and other creative professionals, as well as influencer entrepreneurs, means understanding the developing legal landscape that surrounds their industries. Our attorneys bring more than in-depth legal knowledge – we bring the ability to integrate the latest industry issues with personal considerations such as long-term family, succession, estate, trust, and tax planning.
At Offit Kurman, our sports, entertainment and media lawyers work with each clients’ team of agents and managers, financial advisors, accountants, and other professionals to ensure the client’s business and personal plans are consistent and fully integrated. We also work across our practice areas to ensure that intellectual property is appropriately secured and monetized; corporate, tax, and other transactional elements are considered; and, if necessary, enforcement and litigation are effectively managed.
Our sports, entertainment and media team includes a former in-house counsel for a large broadcast corporation, the co-founder of a sports and entertainment agency that developed marketing and management strategies for professional athletes and Fortune 500 brands, and the former secretary and general counsel of a major, publicly traded luxury fashion company. We represent clients in the following areas:
- Clearing and licensing of copyright, trademark, and name, image and likeness (NIL) rights
- Contracts with creators
- Copyright registration
- Employment and Work for Hire agreements
- Endorsement contracts
- Enforcement of intellectual property rights
- Entertainment contracts
- Estate planning
- Household employee contracts and general non-disclosure agreements
- Joint ventures and other cooperative agreements
- Litigation
- Mergers, acquisitions, and sales
- Music licensing and clearance rights
- NIL for universities, athletes, celebrities, and agents
- Performance contracts
- Photographer contacts
- Prenuptial, postnuptial, settlement, and separation agreements involving enhanced earning capacity and celebrity status
- Private equity and venture capital investments
- Production contracts
- Publishing agreements
- Real estate acquisitions, development, and sales
- Release and waivers for print, social media, and videos for authors, models, and others
- Reputation management
- Retail, both brick and mortar and eCommerce
- Tax issues
- Trademark strategy and prosecution, domestic and international
- Trademark, copyright, and other intellectual property licensing and distribution agreements
- Website and third-party content review related to protected and unprotected trademarks and copyrights
Gaming
Our gaming-focused lawyers leverage both litigation and regulatory experience, advising on a diverse set of issues including governance, regulatory concerns, and compliance. Working with both domestic and international operators, suppliers, and other participants in the gaming space, the team monitors domestic and international trends in gaming law and frequently comments on proposed legislation and legal developments.
Intellectual Property and Licensing
Our sports, entertainment and media lawyers have experience in all aspects of licensing, including developing, negotiating, and implementing new licensing agreements, transactions, and branding strategies for both licensors and licensees. Additionally, our team helps clients protect their intellectual property through trademark and copyright prosecution, monitoring, and enforcement, as well as through litigation, when necessary. Our team is adept at handling DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) takedown procedures and Copyright Claims Board actions. Our work includes music and product licensing, mergers and acquisitions, due diligence, anti-piracy, and anti-counterfeiting across the spectrum of the broadcast, consumer goods, entertainment, music, and sports industries, including athlete and celebrity use of name, image and likeness and rights clearance issues.
Personal Practices – Family Law and Trusts & Estates
For student athletes, professional athletes, and professionals in the music and entertainment industries – individuals who often accumulate significant wealth during their careers -- family law and estate planning considerations become even more critical.
Whether our clients are coupling or uncoupling, we represent individuals in prenuptial, postnuptial, settlement and separation agreements, contested and uncontested divorces, and child-related matters – all while protecting our clients’ privacy. We understand the additional needs of our high-profile clients and are skilled at media management.
We also understand the importance of protecting your financial future and ensuring your loved ones are taken care of long after your time on the stage, screen, or field has ended. From asset protection to tax planning, Offit Kurman can help you create a comprehensive plan that considers your unique circumstances.
