Our Practice

Paul, Weiss has one of the most experienced and diverse media and entertainment practices in the marketplace. We represent leading media companies, entrepreneurs, franchises and investors active in the sector in all types of litigation and transactional matters, including best-in-class mergers and acquisitions, finance, securities, bankruptcy, tax, employment and intellectual property counsel as well as a world-renowned Litigation Department.

Our clients include the most prominent industry players and global investors in every sector, including motion pictures, cable and network TV, music, book and magazine publishing, live entertainment and emerging media. In an increasingly technology-driven industry, where the value of content – whether film, television, radio, live stage, music or print  – depends on distribution across multiple media platforms, our experienced, interdisciplinary transactional teams help clients take advantage of strategic opportunities in a fast-moving market.

Our trial-tested litigators have deep experience across the media and entertainment landscape, making our practice a standard-bearer nationwide. Many of our engagements, such as carriage and antitrust disputes on behalf of cable operators and representation of performing rights organizations in a variety of critical matters, have had industry-wide repercussions.

Intellectual property assets are at the heart of  our clients’ businesses in this sector. We advise clients on how to best develop, protect and leverage their intellectual property, drawing on team members with unique IP transactional experience in the sector. We regularly advise media and entertainment clients on a broad range of copyright, trademark and related IP issues, including underlying rights negotiations; major film studio deals; film production, distribution and financing arrangements; cable networks and programming-related matters; music catalog acquisitions, licensing and other transactional matters; and book, magazine and new media publishing arrangements.

Our practice is global. We frequently advise companies, investors and other providers of capital on media and entertainment transactions outside the United States.

Media

No firm has had a greater impact on the shape of the media industry than Paul, Weiss. Our lawyers have vast experience in the legal areas that matter most to our media clients. We have experience in every industry sector from motion pictures, recorded music, music publishing and cable and broadcast television to live theater and book and magazine publishing. Paul, Weiss attorneys have worked with every type of client, including major film studios, cable TV companies, record labels and television networks; private equity funds, hedge funds and production financing vehicles; and playwrights, actors, directors, and screen- and songwriters, among others. Our seasoned litigators handle the highest profile and most complex cases, providing risk assessment, pre-litigation advice and strategy to help clients avoid litigation, and effective, experienced representation when litigation is unavoidable. Further, we handle media transactions around the globe, from emerging markets with untapped potential to the storied playhouses of Broadway to creating new media businesses.

Entertainment

For entertainment clients, we offer the best of both worlds: the strength and support of a full-service firm and the specialized expertise of an entertainment boutique. Service to the talent side of the entertainment business is ingrained in Paul, Weiss’s DNA. We have helped talent and entertainment companies negotiate and defend their critical copyright, trademark and contract matters across a variety of sectors. Clients include playwrights, actors, directors, screen- and songwriters, television stars, and book publishers. We currently represent all of the largest live entertainment companies and venues in New York City.