The Cases that "Rocked" the Entertainment World in 2022

Pierre Pine is a partner at McPherson LLP, and has been practicing law since 2001.  He began his career as an associate with Parker Mills & Patel LLP, handling various complex business litigation matters.  Mr. Pine joined McPherson LLP in September 2006.

Aaron Moss is a partner in MSK’s Entertainment, Intellectual Property, and Litigation practice groups, where he represents the owners and users of creative content in copyright, trademark, right of publicity, idea submission, and contractual disputes. He has also successfully argued high-stakes First Amendment cases before district and appellate courts nationwide, defending media clients against defamation, invasion of privacy, and other attempts to restrain speech.

A nationally recognized expert in copyright law, Aaron is the publisher, editor, and author of Copyright Lately, a widely read legal blog selected by the U.S. Library of Congress for inclusion in its archive of authoritative and culturally significant websites. His analysis has been cited by courts, legal scholars, and major media organizations. Aaron is also a frequent speaker at conferences and events hosted by the Copyright Society, the American Bar Association, the Media Law Resource Center, and leading law schools.

In addition to his litigation practice, Aaron advises clients on intellectual property acquisitions and transfers, copyright termination and reversion, and emerging legal issues surrounding artificial intelligence. He also conducts complex chain-of-title analyses and provides pre-publication clearance reviews, helping clients navigate legal risks and avoid costly lawsuits.

Aaron’s clients include major film and television studios, independent production companies, digital media platforms, and video game publishers. He also represents designers, entrepreneurs, and advertising and creative services agencies, as well as manufacturers and licensors of toys, apparel, and consumer products. Additionally, Aaron provides strategic guidance to retailers and e-commerce businesses on intellectual property and commercial issues, with particular expertise in secondary market transactions.

Widely recognized as one of the preeminent intellectual property litigators in his field, Aaron has been repeatedly named to The Hollywood Reporter’s “Top 100 Power Lawyers” list, Variety’s “Legal Impact Report,” and the Daily Journal’s “Top Intellectual Property Lawyers.” He is also ranked by Chambers USA as a leading lawyer in media and entertainment litigation and was recently named “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers for his work in both First Amendment and Intellectual Property law.

Before joining MSK, Aaron was a partner at Greenberg Glusker in Los Angeles, where he chaired its litigation department for over twelve years.

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.

Christine Lepera focuses her practice on the entertainment and media industries as a litigator and strategic advisor. Christine is a co-chair of the Entertainment & IP Litigation Practice Group and member of the firm’s Governing Board. Her practice covers the landscape of entertainment/media disputes and issues, including claims of copyright and trademark infringement, unfair competition, right of publicity/privacy violations, and industry contract and commercial disputes. Christine has represented many leading entertainers and entertainment/media companies, including those mentioned in the representative matters below.