On April 20, 2022, Variety released its annual Legal Impact Report, featuring the top in-house attorneys, litigators, and transactional attorneys in the entertainment industry. Lee Brenner, William Briggs, David Fink, and Josh Rosenberg were recognized in the Litigation category. Chris O’Brien was recognized in the Transactional category.
Continue Reading Lee Brenner, William Briggs, David Fink, Josh Rosenberg, and Chris O’Brien Recognized in Variety’s 2022 Legal Impact Report

On March 28, 2022, William Briggs was recognized by Billboard among its 2022 Top Music Lawyers. This prestigious list spotlights the savviest legal counselors in the music industry.

Mr. Briggs is a trial lawyer and civil litigator with broad experience in the entertainment industry. He represents some of the top talent in film, television, music,

Venable LLP is pleased to announce the arrival of Joshua Rosenberg, partner, and Max Wellman, counsel, at the firm’s Litigation Practice in the Los Angeles office.

Mr. Rosenberg handles a wide range of complex litigation matters, including breach of contract, copyright and trademark infringement, employment disputes, defamation, invasion of privacy, and general business matters. He has represented numerous entertainment industry clients, including studios, production companies, talent agencies, management companies, concert promoters, record labels, recording artists, actors, writers, directors, producers, studio executives, and social media influencers. He has also represented manufacturers, real estate developers, high-net-worth individuals, and nonprofit organizations.

Mr. Wellman represents individual and corporate clients in business and entertainment matters. He works closely with his clients to build relationships and manage their needs, both in and outside of the courtroom. When handling litigation, Mr. Wellman focuses on complex commercial disputes involving intellectual property, trade secrets, commercial debts, corporate dissolutions, and general contract and business tort claims. Outside the courtroom, Mr. Wellman provides strategic and operational advice, primarily in the entertainment, media, and technology industries, including assisting intellectual property owners in building, protecting, and monetizing their assets. He predominantly represents production companies, global influencers, merchandising companies, developing artists, entrepreneurs, consumer product brands, and technology start-ups.Continue Reading Venable Expands Service Offerings for the Entertainment and Media Industry with the Addition of Joshua Rosenberg and Max Wellman

On December 8, 2021, Paul BernsteinChris O’Brien, and Jim Nelson were recognized in Variety’s Dealmakers Impact Report. This recognition honors the top financiers, attorneys, executives, and entrepreneurs who forged the major game-changing deals that changed the showbiz landscape.

Paul Bernstein, chair of Venable’s Entertainment Transactions practice, advises clients on complex corporate matters. Paul handles joint ventures, endorsement deals, financings, mergers and acquisitions, executive employment deals, and all manner of entrepreneurial activities for actors, writers, directors, producers, musical artists, athletes, and others in the entertainment industry. He also represents several talent management companies and production companies.

Chris O’Brien helps clients create value through corporate transactions across a wide range of industries, including entertainment and media. Chris represents multinational and regional corporations, established companies, and nascent enterprises on a wide range of business transactions, including company formation, mergers and acquisitions, financings, and joint ventures. He is also a co-founder and a co-chair of Venable’s Blockchain and Digital Currencies Group. As a trusted advisor, Chris frequently serves as outside general counsel for his clients.

Jim Nelson is a corporate attorney, a co-chair of the Technology, Media, and Commercial Group, and partner-in-charge of Venable ‘s San Francisco office. Jim focuses on intellectual property-centered businesses that emphasize the development, production, and commercialization of IP assets. He manages a wide range of commercial contract and outsourcing engagements, in addition to his general corporate work forming and financing companies and supporting them in mergers, sales, acquisitions, and joint ventures. His clients range from startups to emerging growth and Fortune 50 companies—often located or acting globally—in financial services, technology, media, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, hospitality, and consumer products, among others.Continue Reading Venable’s Paul Bernstein, Chris O’Brien, and Jim Nelson Recognized in Variety’s Dealmakers Impact Report 2021

Venable is pleased to announce that Hemanshu (Hemu) Nigam has joined the firm as a partner in the eCommerce, Privacy, and Cybersecurity Practice in its Los Angeles office. Mr. Nigam has nearly 25 years of experience in solving online security, privacy, and safety challenges facing celebrities, pro athletes, high-net-worth individuals, corporations, and start-ups, as well as government and law enforcement. He has extensive experience conducting end-to-end cyber assessments and protection and often provides counsel on cutting-edge online privacy and security issues. Mr. Nigam seeks justice for entertainment and sports professionals who are cyberstalked, hacked, or harassed, or who have fallen victim to other forms of online attacks.
Continue Reading Venable Expands Service Offerings for the Entertainment and Media Industry with the addition of Privacy and Cybersecurity Veteran Hemanshu Nigam

On March 11, 2021, a piece of digital art sold for $69,000,000.00 (yes, sixty-nine million United States dollars) at Christie’s Auction House (online, of course). That happened roughly five months after its original sale, meaning that the piece created by the artist known as Beeple sold for over 100,000% of its original price ($66,666.66), pushing Beeple to become one of “the top three most valuable living artists” according to Christie’s. Other than the price, what makes the Beeple sale noteworthy is the fact that the work was in the form of an NFT.

What Is an NFT?

NFT stands for “non-fungible token,” or a bit of digital code written onto a blockchain (also called distributed ledger technology). Through an NFT, a digital asset like a piece of art, a video clip, or the very first Tweet can be permanently registered on a blockchain forever. Ownership and provenance can be verified instantly. For the first time, digital scarcity can be achieved for digital items and, with it, the promise of higher prices for digital assets, outside of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. You might pay a small fortune for an authentic Ted Williams rookie year baseball card, but not for a reproduction made today that is physically identical in every respect. The same idea is fueling a boom in NFTs sold by artists, athletes, and others, because the digital item is registered and its quantity limited. As a result, the owner has “the one” (or one of 100 limited edition items, for example) and can prove it. In this context, ”digital” may now mean scarce, and therefore valuable.Continue Reading NFTs Promise Digital Scarcity Through the Blockchain for Artists, Athletes, and Celebrities – and an Abundance of New Legal Issues

Venable’s elite Trademark Prosecution and Counseling Group recently announced the launch of its Wellbrand service, an innovative naming solution that leverages the firm’s trademark-law intelligence to accelerate the process of finding effective brand names. Currently available only to established clients of the Trademark practice, the Wellbrand service bridges the gap between marketing needs and legal

Venable partner William Briggs was recently nominated by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to serve on the city’s Board of Police Commissioners. In this Q & A, Briggs discusses his journey from public high school to a prestigious law school, the legal accomplishments he’s most proud of, including his previous advocacy on behalf of disadvantaged children, and what he hopes to accomplish in his new role.

You were raised in a single-parent household in Los Angeles, where you attended a public high school. How did you get from there to one of the country’s top law schools?

I was lucky to have had some very good role models and teachers. One of whom was a biology teacher who I guess recognized that I had some potential and then helped me at an early age to get a job in a laboratory at UCLA. While there I worked for a doctor of Armenian descent who not only exposed me to a completely different culture, but also to a different way of thinking. Basically, he taught me that you don’t have to let the circumstances of your life inhibit your ambition. Like-minded friends of my mother told me the same thing, and my aunt, Dr. Dorothy Height, a civil rights activist, also strongly encouraged me to pursue an education. She had a connection with Bethune-Cookman College, a historically black college in Florida, so that’s where I ended up going.Continue Reading Entertainment Attorney William Briggs Discusses his Journey to a Successful Legal Career

On November 17, 2020,  Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti nominated William Briggs to serve on the city’s Board of Police Commissioners.

“Our city is leading the movement to reimagine public safety, revitalize our commitment to racial justice and support our courageous police officers who keep our city safe. And I’m confident that William Briggs will bring an extraordinary record of leadership and commitment to the fight for fairness, equity, and a safer Los Angeles,” said Mayor Garcetti.

Mr. Briggs is a leading trial lawyer and civil litigator with extensive experience providing counsel to some of the most recognizable names in the film, television, music, and sports industries. He has received numerous accolades for his work in the entertainment industry, including being named a Most Influential Minority Attorney and Top Litigator & Trial Lawyer by the Los Angeles Business Journal. He was also recognized by The Hollywood Reporter as a Power Lawyer and by Billboard as a Top Music Lawyer.
Continue Reading Venable Entertainment Attorney William Briggs Nominated to Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners

In a now famous Oscar speech from 2018, Frances McDormand encouraged more diverse hiring in the film industry. “I have two words to leave you with tonight,” she told the audience as she accepted her Best Actress trophy,—“Inclusion Rider.” Most viewers had no idea what she meant, prompting immediate online searches of the term.

Prior to this, April Reign had created the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite in response to the lack of diversity at the 2015 Oscars, when all twenty acting nominations were awarded to white actors. This criticism of an awards season that failed to reflect the actual makeup of those working in the industry and of movie-goers nationwide seemed to take the Academy by surprise. The issue persisted, however, when the miniseries Hollywood, about a diverse group of aspiring actors and filmmakers trying to make their dreams come true during the post-World War II era, hit our screens this spring. While some criticized the tone, writing, and artistic license taken, many viewed the show as illustrative of what Hollywood could have been if it had allowed for more diversity, both in front of and behind the camera.Continue Reading The Academy’s New Standards For Best Picture—A Bold Chapter In The Name of Inclusivity