The Cases that "Rocked" the Entertainment World in 2021

Marc Toberoff is the founding partner of Toberoff & Associates, and a leading attorney in the area of copyright and entertainment litigation.  Called the “legal Man of Steel” and a “superhero to rights holders” by Variety, and a “brilliant crusader for the little guy” by The New York Times, Mr. Toberoff is a relentless, dedicated advocate of creators’ rights. Mr. Toberoff has successfully represented numerous high-profile clients in a wide variety of intellectual property and entertainment transactional matters, ranging from the children of James Brown and Ray Charles, respectively, to the heirs of Jerry Siegel, Superman’s co-creator, and the family of Jack Kirby, the artistic genius behind most of Marvel’s superhero franchises.

Pierre Pine is a partner at McPherson LLP, where he represents clients in complex entertainment and intellectual property matters, including copyright and trademark infringement, breach of contract, tortious interference, and legal malpractice claims. Practicing law since 2001, he has litigated cases from inception through trial in California’s state and federal courts and was instrumental in securing summary judgment for all defendants in a multi-million-dollar intellectual property dispute involving rights to the “Eleanor” automobile from Gone in 60 Seconds. Since joining McPherson LLP in 2006, Mr. Pine has continued to represent both plaintiffs and defendants in sophisticated entertainment disputes, including Labor Commission hearings involving the Talent Agencies Act.

Mr. Pine’s writing has been featured in leading publications, including the Los Angeles Daily Journal, Entertainment and Sports Lawyer, and the NYU Journal of Intellectual Property & Entertainment Law blog. A recognized leader in his field, he has received the Beverly Hills Bar Association’s Distinguished Service Award for his work as Chair of the Entertainment Law Section and was repeatedly named a Southern California Rising Star by Super Lawyers. Mr. Pine is admitted to practice in California, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. He earned his J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law, where he received numerous academic awards, and his B.A. in Political Science from Loyola Marymount University.

A graduate of the Yale Law School and a U.S Marine veteran, Professor Kevin J. Greene is the John J. Schumacher Chair Professor at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles, California, where he teaches Copyright Law and Entertainment Law. 

Professor Greene’s award winning scholarship explores copyright, trademark and publicity rights issues, including abusive trademark litigation, idea misappropriation as a Hollywood business model, and the impact of intellectual property law on African‐American creativity. Greene was the first legal scholar to analyze how IP doctrine facilitated expropriation of African‐American music and culture. 

Professor Greene practiced law in New York at the premier firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore, representing companies such as Time Warner/HBO, and at a top New York entertainment law boutique firm, where his clients included film production companies, film director Spike Lee, and music artists including Harry Connick, Jr., Bobby Brown, and the seminal rap group Public Enemy. 

As an expert witness‐consultant in copyright and IP cases, Greene worked with funk music legend George Clinton in a landmark copyright case in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Peter Anderson is a partner at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP and one of the nation’s preeminent copyright and entertainment litigators, bringing over four decades of experience to complex, high-profile disputes. He has represented major record labels, music publishers, performers, producers, and media companies in a wide array of intellectual property matters, including copyright infringement, breach of contract, unfair competition, and trademark litigation. His work spans trial and appellate courts across the country, including significant victories before the U.S. Supreme Court and the Ninth and Second Circuits. Anderson Peter J

Anderson has served as lead counsel in many of the most closely watched music and entertainment cases of the past several decades, achieving successful outcomes for clients such as Lil Nas X, Cardi B, Led Zeppelin, The Weeknd, Gwen Stefani, and numerous major labels. He is consistently recognized as a leading lawyer in media, entertainment, and intellectual property law by Chambers USA, Best Lawyers, Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Lawdragon, and other industry authorities.