Variety Names Seven O’Melveny Attorneys to its 2024 Legal Impact Report
April 19, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CENTURY CITY—April19, 2024—Variety has named seven O’Melveny lawyers to its 2024 “Legal Impact Report,” which recognizes “entertainment’s top dealmakers and litigators.” The annual special report honored a four-partner team from O’Melveny’s Entertainment & Media Litigation Group, two partners from O’Melveny’s Entertainment & MediaTech Transactions Group, and an O’Melveny litigation counsel.
The Litigation Team’s profile featured Trial Practice chair Daniel Petrocelli, Entertainment, Sports & Media Group co-chair Molly Lens, partner Drew Breuder, and partner Leah Godesky. Variety recognized the team’s work on several headline-making matters, including:
- representing Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Kesha in her fight against a defamation lawsuit brought by Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald, which concluded with a confidential settlement;
- securing a victory for Paramount in a copyright infringement lawsuit over the blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick;
- resolving a series of lawsuits filed against Marvel involving copyright termination rights for several characters—including Spider-Man, Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, Captain Marvel, Ant-Man, and Doctor Strange;
- securing a victory for Disney in litigation related to the animated film Zootopia;
- representing NBCUniversal in resolving a profit participation dispute involving the iconic Columbo television series;
- representing Disney in its lawsuit against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District to protect Disney’s land use and development rights;
- defending Disney and Warner Bros. in several confidential disputes and arbitrations.
Variety also featured profiles of Entertainment & MediaTech Transactions partners Matthew Syrkin, co-chair of O’Melveny’s MediaTech Group, and Silvia Vannini. Variety recognized their work on numerous industry-shaping deals, including:
- guiding distribution/device deals and strategy for the Comcast and Paramount-owned premium streaming service, “SkyShowtime;”
- representing Liberty Media in its more than US$300 million acquisition of QuintEvents;
- leading negotiations for MSG Entertainment for the development/acquisition of the new video/camera tech core to its new “Sphere” venue in Las Vegas;
- advising MSG Networks on its agreement with The YES Network to form Gotham Advanced Media and Entertainment (GAME), a new 50/50 joint venture;
- representing producer-distributor Fifth Season on the sale of a 25% minority stake in the company to Japanese film and television studio Toho International.
Additionally, O’Melveny litigation counsel Danielle Feuer has been named to Variety’s “Up Next” list, which recognizes top entertainment attorneys under the age of 35. Variety noted her valuable contributions in an array of O’Melveny’s high-profile entertainment cases, including:
- resolving four copyright termination-related disputes in California and New York on behalf of Marvel;
- concluding litigation on behalf of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation over copyright termination notices relating to the Predator franchise;
- representing Walt Disney Parks and Resorts in its land use and development rights dispute in Florida.
Variety’s full Legal Impact Report can be viewed here.
O’Melveny has been synonymous with entertainment law since Hollywood’s Golden Age of the 1930s. The firm has repeatedly helped major players in film, television, digital media, production and distribution, gaming, music, and finance forge groundbreaking deals and resolve high-profile disputes. As shifting financial models and technological advances transform today’s entertainment and media business, O’Melveny remains a firm of choice for industry leaders.
About O’Melveny
It’s more than what you do: it’s how you do it. Across sectors and borders, in board rooms and courtrooms, we measure our success by yours. And in our interactions, we commit to making your O’Melveny experience as satisfying as the outcomes we help you achieve. Our greatest accomplishment is ensuring that you never have to choose between premier lawyering and exceptional service. So, tell us. What do you want to achieve? Visit us at www.omm.com; read our Insights 2024 report; learn more in our firm at-a-glance; and find us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Contact:
Brandon Jacobsen
O’Melveny & Myers LLP
+1 213 430 8024
bjacobsen@omm.com
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