Media & Entertainment

Expert Witnesses and Consultants

Traditional media – film, radio, print, television – are governed by legal rules and precedents developed over decades. Concurrently, the rapid growth of new digital technologies and entrants into the media and entertainment realm – such as video gaming, social media, and streaming media – has generated novel legal issues.

Media experts with experience in both the traditional and new areas are critical to success in high stakes cases involving claims in diverse, but often related, areas such as copyright, trademark, and patent infringement; trade secret disputes; breach of contract, and unfair competition.

Our experts understand the targeted medium and the technology, as well as the competitive landscape. But, perhaps the most important qualification of our media experts is to be able to reliably communicate with logic and in clear terms to judges and juries.

In traditional media and entertainment law, experts deal with commonly recognized issues such as:

  • Copyright & trademark infringement (music, film, television, radio)
  • Film and TV distribution and licensing
  • Contract disputes regarding entertainment and sports agreements
  • Media torts, including invasion of privacy and defamation
  • First amendment rights
  • Celebrity licensing, endorsements, and royalties

More recently developed and highly technical areas of expertise in the media and entertainment law area include:

Expertise for Every Eventuality

In the traditional media realm, over the years we’ve placed experts before the International Trade Commission (“ITC”), and on cases related to the Tariff Act, and the Fair Use Doctrine. In the “new” entertainment and media realm, patent infringement is often the issue. We place technical experts to assist and opine on matters ranging from materials science of hard drive disks, to “machine vision” for patent litigation.

Damages calculations are frequently at issue. The standard of care regarding preventing data breaches, as well as the existence of gross negligence when cyber attacks occur, are common legal issues for which we frequently find damages experts for our clients.

In both traditional and new media formats, we place experts who can testify to whether an advertising claim is false or deceptive. Click here to read one of our expert’s opinions on proving false advertising.

A sampling of our media and entertainment case studies showcases the breadth and depth of our experts’ proficiency.

VIEW EXPERT CASE STUDIES

How We Find Your Experts

Unlike other companies who search for experts through stale databases, we work in lockstep with our clients to identify the precise expert you seek, even if only one exists. Our researchers know the industry’s elites and dig deep into the science to identify the proverbial “needle in a haystack” authority you need. Our entire methodology is founded on probing your expectations, thoroughly understanding your problem, framing the right questions to the right experts, and persistence seasoned by years of experience in this business. And as your case and needs evolve, we proactively anticipate that, too.

We succeed at locating knowledgeable experts with deep experience in the media and entertainment arena because of our experience, our team of researchers who are themselves often Ph.D. scientists and our exacting search methodologies honed over 20-years in business. You will not find the technical expertise of our research department in any other expert placement firm. Our team and our process is unparalleled for successfully matching your perfect expert.

The primary criteria we use to select these individuals include, but are not limited to:

  • Academic background and certifications
  • Industry experience and professional background
  • Location and travel limitations
  • Experience in legal proceedings, including prior testimony experience
  • Qualifications of the opposition witnesses
  • Conflicts of interest
  • Fees

Our team of Ph.D. and J.D. researchers have years of experience in their disciplines and are consummately poised to identify experts who can fill the niche you need.

Whether you’re seeking an expert opinion on the technicalities of downloading copyrighted music in an intellectual property dispute or seeking a damages expert in the SEO/pay per click space to testify on the impact of third-party hosting on a company’s profits or losses, our team has the technical understanding and extensive network to locate the perfect expert to suit your requirements.