When celebrities have their names, likenesses, or voices misappropriated and wrongfully exploited, they need someone who knows how to enforce their rights. Likewise, when media companies face claims based on alleged violations of the rights of privacy and publicity or defamation, they need counsel to protect their artistic works.
Pryor Cashman has decades of experience representing production companies, film studios, networks, writers, celebrities, and other high-profile personalities. When reputations and valuable privacy and publicity rights are at stake, our litigators strive to resolve matters swiftly and, when necessary, discreetly.
What We Do
We represent both individuals and media companies in disputes concerning violations of the rights of privacy and publicity and defamation claims, working to resolve matters quickly and cost-effectively. We also provide comprehensive due diligence to the producers of artistic works to aid them in avoiding risk altogether.
Litigation
Pryor Cashman’s litigators have extensive experience in prosecuting and defending the right of privacy/publicity cases. Our litigators have played a significant role in developing the law in the areas of privacy and publicity rights, including winning Rogers v. Grimaldi, MGU/UA, the seminal case that articulated the balancing test for weighing trademark rights against the First Amendment rights afforded artistic expression. We also achieved victory in Seale v. Gramercy Pictures, which concerned the motion picture “Panther” - one of a limited number of cases to address First Amendment protections of the producers/writers of docudramas.
We are similarly well versed in prosecuting and defending defamation suits, strategic lawsuit against public participation ("SLAPP") suits, and have handled a number of noteworthy defamation cases, including the successful dismissal of a highly publicized case against hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons.
Due Diligence
To prevent litigation, we meticulously vet scripts, books, films, and other creative works to clear every aspect of a project to ensure compliance and avoid liability. We also advise errors and omissions insurers on ways to reduce and eliminate risk in their coverage of claims concerning infringements of intellectual property and violations of an individual’s rights.
