Sports, Entertainment and Gaming

Winston & Strawn was recently named a Media and Entertainment Group of the Year by Law360. With numerous clients in the sports, entertainment, and gaming industry, we represent these companies in litigation and corporate matters involving sponsorship/endorsement agreements, domain names, trademarks and other IP counseling, tax, trust and estates, charitable foundation matters, marketing and promotions, government relations, and labor and employment.

Sports

Leagues

We represent sports leagues in marketing, promotions, privacy, sponsorship, domain name, social media and other intellectual property matters. Sample representations include the National Basketball Association (NBA) in domain name and other electronic commerce matters.

Teams

We represent sports teams in marketing, promotions, privacy, sponsorship, domain name, social media and other intellectual property matters. We also regularly structure, negotiate, and close complex and innovative sports-related financial transactions and are experienced in stadium financings, franchise acquisitions, and a variety of other corporate matters. Sample representations include the Miami Heat in advertising, promotions, privacy and domain name matters.

Athletes and Agents

We have established a holistic brand protection strategy for our professional athlete clients that provides a well rounded approach to all of their personal, professional, and charitable needs, including endorsement, domain name, social media, trademark, corporate, trust and estates, tax, charitable foundation and litigation matters. Sample representations include the NBA's Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Kevin Durant, and Luol Deng; the NFL's Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick and Coach Lovie Smith; sports agencies CAA Sports and Excel Sports Management; as well as the boxing promoter Don King. We act as legal counsel to Dwyane Wade's Wades World Foundation and the Luol Deng Foundation. In 2010, we represented Chris Bosh in a landmark case against a cybersquatter where we retrieved his domain name, a large monetary award, and over 800 other domain names tied to professional athletes and entertainers. We partnered with Chris Bosh and the NBA Players Association in offering to return each of the domains to the athlete/entertainers who's name was cybersquatted.

Sponsors

We represent some of the countries biggest marketers in navigating the complex waters of sports sponsorship, including venue partnerships, ticketing issues, broadcast programming, and arena naming rights. Sample representations include assisting clients in sponsorship matters relating to the Olympics, NFL, MLB, NHL, British Open, Honda Classic, Little League Baseball, Orange, Sugar, Fiesta and Rose Bowls, as well as numerous professional sports teams such as the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bears, Portland Trailblazers, Atlanta Braves and many others.

Entertainment

Winston & Strawn has provided litigation, counseling and transactional services in the entertainment industry for nearly every type of legal issue imaginable. In addition to our work involving negotiations and litigation relating to entertainment industry contracts, our attorneys advise and counsel entertainment clients on capital markets transactions and licensing of intellectual property. Recent matters include the representation of Veoh Networks in a series of cases involving the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which is currently shaping the law governing media and emerging technology in the entertainment industry.

Gaming

We represent casinos, racetracks and gaming manufacturers in gaming regulatory, real estate and development, joint ventures, lobbying and legislative activity, corporate governance and SEC reporting, employee benefits, and litigation. Our representations have given us the unique understanding of the legislative process and competitive bidding process for casino licensing. Sample representations include Argosy Gaming (for which we serve as chief outside counsel), Gaming, Inc., Legends Gaming, ShuffleMaster, Inc., Harrah's, and Arlington Park Racetrack.