The entertainment attorneys at Weintraub Tobin represent individuals and companies in transactions and litigation in all aspects of the entertainment and media industries. Areas of emphasis include:
Weintraub client and audiobook narrator Jeff Hays has joined Peacock’s live-action adaptation of Dungeon Crawler Carl. Hays will voice Princess Donut, the talking cat he portrays in the bestselling audiobook series. Based on Matt Dinniman’s dystopian comedy novels, the series follows a Coast Guard veteran and Princess Donut as they fight to survive…
Weintraub client Zosia Mamet has joined the cast of HBO’s Industry for its upcoming fifth and final season. Mamet will play Carmen Dame, a fitness influencer turned wellness tech founder and CEO. Filming for the eight-episode season is set to begin in August in the United Kingdom. Zosia Mamet is represented by…
Apple TV has acquired the rights to Peculiar Stars, the upcoming romance novel from Weintraub client and bestselling author Rebecca Yarros. Apple Studios will develop the novel as a television series, with Yarros serving as an executive producer through her production company, Full Measures Productions. Set to be published on November…
Magic Hour Entertainment, the newly formed production company led by Max Siemers and Tanner Anderson, is set to adapt Christina Lauren’s bestselling romance novel, Love and Other Words, as a feature film. The story follows childhood best friends turned first loves who reconnect more than a decade later and are forced…
Weintraub client Diane Lane, an Oscar nominee and multiple Emmy nominee, is set to appear as a recurring guest star in Netflix’s upcoming comedy series A Hundred Percent, starring Nick Kroll, Sam Richardson, Jason Mantzoukas, and Vanessa Bayer. Lane will portray Suzanne, a bestselling author, media mogul, and iconic figure in…
Matt Dinniman’s popular science fantasy book series, Dungeon Crawler Carl, will be adapted to a live-action series on the Peacock network. The series comes from Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door and Universal Global Television, with Chris Yost writing for television. Dungeon Crawler Carl follows Coast Guard veteran Carl as he fights to survive an alien-controlled,…
Weintraub Tobin is pleased to welcome Nicole Nogueras as Of Counsel in the Firm’s Entertainment & Media practice group. Based in the Firm’s Los Angeles office, Nicole focuses on business and legal affairs for production companies and advises clients across the entertainment industry on transactional, production, and talent-related matters. Nicole…
FX is developing That Texas Blood, a drama series from Jim Mickle and E.L. Katz based on the Image Comics series from Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips. The neo-noir Western follows Sheriff Joe Bob Coates of Ambrose County, Texas, as a man’s return home after his brother’s sudden disappearance leads to…
Weintraub client Big Shot Pictures is partnering with A for Adley creator Adley McBride on a new television series adaptation of Eloise, based on the beloved children’s book character created by Kay Thompson and illustrated by Hilary Knight. The series is being developed through Big Shot Pictures (led by Brian Robbins), with McBride…
Netflix has greenlit Barbaric, a medieval fantasy drama based on the hit Vault Comics title of the same name. Created by Mike Moreci and Nathan Gooden, the series follows a barbarian cursed to only use violence for good as he embarks on a journey of redemption alongside his talking axe…
Weintraub client Rebecca Yarros’ best-selling romantasy novel Fourth Wing has officially been ordered to series at Amazon Prime Video. Based on Yarros’ hit The Empyrean book series, the adaptation follows Violet Sorrengail as she enters the dangerous and competitive world of dragon riders at Basgiath War College. The series will…
On Tuesday, March 19th, Weintraub partner Scott Hervey will present an informative MCLE webinar, Beyond Top Gun and Tattoos: Something Old and Something New on Ninth Circuit Principles for the Beverly Hills Bar Association. The decision on the Top Gun case reaffirms what is already known: copyright does not protect…
On Monday, October 27th, Weintraub joined forces with the Franchise Media Collective (FMC) and MADE BY ALL to host the Creator Economy Salon: “Generations: From Passion to Legacy Enterprises.” This exclusive, members-only gathering brought together trailblazers from across the content creator landscape for a day of insight and connection. Weintraub…
On July 24, Weintraub entertainment and intellectual property attorney Matthew Sugarman co-presented, ‘From Idea to Shelves.’ Speaking on a panel alongside literary agents, managers, publishing pros, and producers, they addressed the state of the publishing and adaptation businesses. The panel covered: How to take your writing career from the blank…
On November 14th, The Hollywood Radio & Television Society (HRTS) presented an informative MCLE webinar, HRTS Unscripted: The Impact of Generative AI on Nonfiction. Weintraub shareholder Scott Hervey will moderate a panel discussion about the ethical, legal, and business impacts of generative AI on the fields of nonfiction, reality, documentary,…
On Thursday, July 24th, Weintraub Attorney Matt Sugarman will participate in a panel at the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con, “From Idea to Shelves.” The panel brings together professionals who assist authors in taking a project from blank page to launch, including agent, manager, attorney, publisher, and producer. Matt will discuss strategies and…
On Tuesday, April 9th, Weintraub attorneys will participate in a panel from the Barristers’ Club of San Francisco Bar Association’s (BASF) Pathways to Partnership Series. Part 1 of 2, “Transitioning from Senior Associate to Junior Partner,” will focus the panel discussion on the journey from associate to junior partner and…
On September 8, Weintraub Shareholder Matt Sugarman will present as part of the American Bar Association webinar Comic Book Law 101. This panel will explore the comic book industry, its place in greater pop culture, and the key legal issues attorneys practicing in this area should know. Topics covered will include…
Summary of ProgramUnfortunately, both single-plaintiff and class-action wage and hour lawsuits continue to plague California employers. Often employers are sued because of technical violations that occur simply because the employer is unaware of its legal obligations. Come join the Labor and Employment Group at Weintraub Tobin as they discuss the…
Join us July 23!Weintraub Tobin and LAVA Digital Media Group will host a conversation with Ethan Applen, the executive director of Media Camp, a Turner/Warner Brothers Initiative, on Tuesday, July 23th. The conversation will focus on the opportunities and challenges with owning a startup company and will include a demo…
Join Us April 23! Weintraub Tobin and the LAVA Digital Media Group will host a panel discussion: “How Has Digital Media Changed the Way We Interact with Food” on Tuesday, April 23. Whether it’s finding a place to eat, sharing recommendations on your favorite dishes or ordering food online, investors…
Weintraub Tobin and Moss Adams are co-sponsoring the LAVA Digital Media Group’s panel discussion: “What’s Ahead for Digital Media in 2013” on Tuesday, February 26. Making predictions in digital media can be challenging. At this time last year who even knew what Pinterest was, let alone that it would explode…
The year 2025 left the media and entertainment industry with a series of significant, unresolved legal questions. As we move into 2026, several high-profile cases are poised to redefine the boundaries of fair use, the legality of AI training, and the application of the Rogers Test in trademark law. 1.…
In the realm of copyright law, determining the scope of damages and the applicability of the statute of limitations remains a contentious issue. The Supreme Court case of Nealy v. Warner Chappell Music (argued before the Court in February of this year) promises to shed light on this matter, grappling…
In December 2019, Scott Hervey wrote about the copyright infringement lawsuit filed against Taylor Swift by the writers of the song “Playas Gon’ Play.” The song was released by the girl group 3LW in 2001 and included the lyrics “Playa, they gonna play / And haters, they gonna hate.” In…
New York’s post mortem right-of-publicity statute recently came into effect. Its previous right-of-publicity laws were an extension of its statutory right of privacy which provided that “any person whose name [or likeness] is used within [New York] for advertising [or trade] purposes without . . . written consent” can sue…
In the 9th Circuit (as well as the 2nd, 5th, 6th, and 11th Circuits), the test for determining whether the use of a third-party trademark in an expressive work (i.e., use of a brand within a movie, TV series, video game, etc., including as part of the title of an…
The motion picture Wolf of Wall Street was based on a book of the same title written by Jordan Belmont. In the book, Andrew Greene, who was director, general counsel, and head of the corporate finance department at Stratton Oakmont between 1993 and 1996, was discussed extensively. In the book,…
Virginia Vallejo, a well known Colombian journalist and media personality, authored the memoir “Loving Pablo, Hating Escobar”. The book is a factual account of her romantic relationship with Pablo Escobar and a chronicle of the rise of the Colombian drug cartel. Vallejo claimed that certain scenes in the television series Narcos infringed…
The USPTO recently refused legendary quarterback Tom Brady’s application to register the mark TOM TERRIFIC. If you’re like me, you’re wondering why Tom Brady would want to register such a trademark. Well, according to Brady, he wanted to obtain the rights to the mark to prevent people from referring to…
For those of you that watched the red carpet happenings at last year’s Golden Globe Awards, you may have noticed the “Fiji Water Girl”, a model standing ready to keep Hollywood glitterati hydrated with bottles of Fiji water, photobombing numerous shots of celebrities. Her presence on the red carpet created…
The Trademark Trial and Appeals Board’s recent ruling in In re Productos Verde Valle, S.A. de C.V. upholding a trademark examiner’s refusal to register the mark SONIA for “sauces; chili sauce; hot sauce” holds a lesson for those of us that regularly advise clients on the registrability (and usability) of…
Recently, a client asked why we included a short form option agreement and a short form assignment agreement as an exhibit to a long form literary option agreement. I am sure that many a corporate transactional attorney has similarly wondered why a short form copyright assignment agreement is included within…
