William J. Briggs is a trial lawyer and civil litigator with broad experience in the entertainment industry. William represents some of the top talent in film, television, music, and sports.
He has experience in state, federal, and appellate courts, and with arbitrations, involving intellectual property disputes, complex entertainment contract disputes, partnership disputes, rights of publicity and First Amendment issues, and employment matters.
In addition to his courtroom practice, William works with clients to respond rapidly to emergency situations and to identify the most appropriate and cost-effective solutions. When difficult and challenging issues cannot be resolved without litigation, he is prepared to try the case for the client.
Experience :
- Represented co-owners of copyrights and trademarks in a dispute between partners, concerning who had the right to use the trademark and exploit the copyrights
- Represented an agency in an idea submission case
- Represented talent in a copyright infringement matter
- Represented talent in a right of approval dispute that required talent’s approval before the release of a film
- Represented a production company in a dispute with the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screenwriters Guild of America (SGA) concerning residual payments
- Represented a high-profile actor, producer, and comedian in high-stakes litigation, and obtained a groundbreaking appellate decision in the areas of harassment, discrimination, copyright, and right of publicity
- Represented an actress in a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit against a network
- Digerati Holdings, LLC v. Young Money Entertainment, LLC, et al., 194 Cal. App. 4th 873 (2011) (affirming partial grant of anti-SLAPP motion).
Education :
- J.D.Georgetown University Law Center1988
- B.A.Bethune-Cookman College1978
Bar Admissions : California
Court Admissions :
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Professional Memberships :
- Member, State Bar of California
- Member, American Bar Association
- Associate member, American Inn of Court, William B. Enright Chapter
- Member, Professional Advisory Network, Motion Picture & Television Fund
Community : Active in the local community and provides pro bono legal services to the Alliance for Children’s Rights.
Cost
Rate : $$$