Pitfalls & Protections in Licensing: A Legal Perspective

Jim was Vice President and Managing Attorney for Kenner Toys and Hasbro, Inc. for 20+ years.  In this capacity he negotiated merchandising License Agreements resulting in cumulative product sales in excess of $3Billion, with all major entertainment studios for such properties as Star Wars, Batman, Jurassic Park, Care bears, Pokemon as well as strategic relationships with Disney, Dreamworks SKG and LucasFilm.  In addition, Mr. Kipling handled negotiations with all major professional sports leagues and players’ associations, NASCAR, its driver teams and sponsors.  In his 5+ years of private practice, Mr. Kipling represents public and private companies as well as individuals in all of his areas of expertise.

Elizabeth has been practicing on the Licensor side of the entertainment industry for nearly 25 years.  She started her career at Warner Bros, where she handled worldwide business and legal affairs for licensing of the Looney Tunes characters and the DC Comics franchises, notably the “Batman” motion pictures. She left WB in 1994 to join Paramount Pictures as VP of Business and Legal Affairs of their Licensing Group, and became immersed in the world of “Star Trek,” while also negotiating deals for the “Cheers” restaurant and pub in London and the line of “Bubba Gump Shrimp Company” restaurants, based on the Oscar winning film “Forrest Gump.” In 1997 she relocated to New York to join MTV Networks and Nickelodeon and became Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of the company’s global ancillary businesses. She left MTVN in February 2010 and is currently a consultant.

Karen Gaunt’s practice is concentrated in the areas of domestic and international trademark, copyright, internet, media, licensing, advertising and corporate law. She counsels clients on both transactional and litigation matters involving all aspects of trademark, copyright, internet, licensing and trade secret law and she frequently gives seminars on various intellectual property issues.