Media, Entertainment and Sports
Our lawyers ensure success from behind the scenes.
The lawyers in the Media, Sports and Entertainment group at Haynes Boone handle the gamut of issues faced by companies and organizations in these industries. Our interdisciplinary team represents clients ranging from sports franchises and stadium builders, to publishers and broadcasters, to cable, cellular and Internet service providers.
We understand the high-stakes, multimillion-dollar nature of providing entertainment to the masses, whether in person or digitally.
For sports teams, including clients such as the National Football League and a National Hockey League franchise, our services include:
- Development and financing of sports facilities
- Licensing, sponsorship and marketing of team memorabilia merchandise
- Advisory and tactical support during player contract negotiations
For our media clients, which include A&E Television Networks, Star Magazine and The New York Times Company, we routinely handle matters involving:
- Trademark and copyright issues
- Libel and defamation
- Invasion of privacy
- Licensing and other issues relating to online publishing, advertising and working with freelance writers and photographers
Our lawyers also advise entertainment companies on a variety of deals and financing arrangements, including mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings and working capital lines of credit.
A podcast focused on new legal developments and trends impacting the media and entertainment industry, intellectual property, and open government and First Amendment law.
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HB Media Minute Episode 35: EU Anti-SLAPP Efforts - July 20, 2023
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HB Media Minute Episode 33: Free Speech Victory at Arizona Supreme Court – May 16, 2023
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HB Media Minute Episode 32: Social Media Laws in Florida and Texas – January 4, 2023
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HB Media Minute Episode 31: Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard Trial – November 28, 2022
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HB Media Minute Episode 30: U.S. Supreme Court to Review Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act for First Time – November 15, 2022
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Media Minute Episode 29: Seizure of Counterfeit Products as a Civil Remedy for Infringement - 8/8/2022
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Texas Drone Law Held Unconstitutional - 6/27/2022
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Cannabis Advertising - 5/3/2022
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HB Media Minute Episode 25: 5th Circuit Opinion On Police Filming - 04/01/2022
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Section 230 Reform Efforts by Federal and State Legislatures and the Judiciary (Part 3) - 12/06/2021
- FOSTA, Its Effects, and How Courts Are Interpreting It (Part 2) - 11/08/2021
- What is Section 230? (Part 1); 10/25/2021 - Listen here
- Recent Developments in Data Scraping; 10/12/2021 - Listen here
- A Guide to Entertainment Transactions; 09/27/2021 - Listen here
- A Legislative Update from the Texas Governor’s Session; 09/13/2021 - Listen here
- The Supreme Court Continues to Take On Important Copyright Issues: A Look Back and a Look Forward; 08/26/2021 - Listen here
- Dichotomy in Transparency as a Result of COVID-19; 08/12/2021 - Listen here
- A Review of the Texas Supreme Court’s Key Media, Defamation, and TCPA Decisions from the 2020-21 Term; 07/19/2021 - Listen here
- Domain Name Cybersquatting and Trademark Based Options for Brand Owners – The ACPA, UDRP, and URS; 07/06/2021 - Listen here
- Avoiding Liability for Using A Person’s Image in Your Creative Work; 06/17/2021 - Listen here
- Federal Courts of Appeals Paring Down Transformative Use: Two Recent Copyright Fair Use Decisions; 06/03/2021 - Listen here
- What Media Companies Need to Know About the GDPR and CCPA; 05/17/2021 - Listen here
- A Balancing of “Incomparable Interests”: The Pickering Test & First Amendment Rights of Government Employees; 04/20/2021 - Listen here
- Bonus Episode: An Update to "Entertainment, and Titles, and Trademarks, Oh My!” The Tricky Business of Title Clearance for Entertainment Properties; 04/12/2021 - Listen here
- What Are Standard Essential Patents and Why Do I Need to Know About Them?; 03/30/2021 - Listen here
- "Entertainment, and Titles, and Trademarks, Oh My!” The Tricky Business of Title Clearance for Entertainment Properties; 03/23/2021 - Listen here
- Evolving Trends in the Production and Distribution of Streaming Media; 02/12/2021 - Listen here
- Significant Changes to U.S. Trademark and Copyright Law Included in Latest Coronavirus Relief Legislation; 01/22/2021 - Listen here
- TikTok Influencers and Cross-Platform #AdLaw Concerns; 12/16/2020 - Listen here
- How to Avoid Liability for Posting Photos and Other Online Content; 11/30/2020 - Listen here
- Restrictions on Open Government and Public Information During COVID-19; 11/11/2020 - Listen here
- Anti-SLAPP Legislation and Litigation - Key Developments; 10/2/2020 - Listen here
Plaintiff, a nightclub/bar, sued our client, a television station, for its brief online article -based on a police news conference - that reported on a dispute that occurred in front of the bar and the subsequent shooting of a band member in the arm. After an initial, successful appeal of the denial [...]
Plaintiffs, a doctor and his medical practice, filed a retaliatory lawsuit against Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc., alleging defamation after Nexstar’s television station, KXAN, published online and broadcast reports about inherent problems with the Texas Medical Board’s complaint and investigation [...]
Represented the Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media, Teachers College, Columbia University, against Plaintiff’s claims of defamation. The claims arose from an article in the Hechinger Report concerning published allegations that Plaintiff forced black students in her middle school class t [...]
Successfully defended defamation claim against magazine client regarding article discussing arson murder of prominent Dallas attorney in his garage. When case was initially filed in Florida federal court, we obtained dismissal or personal jurisdiction grounds, and when case was refiled in Texas fede [...]
Represented Pacific Northwest College of Art against claims of copyright infringement arising from the use of music on a number of YouTube videos.
Successfully defended defamation claim on behalf of magazine client, resulting in dismissal of all claims with prejudice. After the trial court enter partial summary judgment in favor of D Magazine, we appealed to the Dallas Court of Appeals, which dismissed all claims. After briefing and oral argum [...]
Successfully represented the NFL in affirming a take-nothing summary judgment in the second of several lawsuits filed by a fantasy football convention co-owned by former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. The Dallas Court of Appeals found that there was no evidence the NFL tortiously interfered w [...]
Represented Mizzen and Main LLC in connection with the negotiation of its endorsement deal with a prominent professional athlete.
Successfully obtained summary judgment on behalf of a television production company in a negligence lawsuit alleging that the broadcast of an episode of The First 48, a critically acclaimed documentary television series, incited retaliatory violence against the Plaintiff.
Haynes Boone represented CBS Television Distribution, Graham Media and Associated Newspapers, all national media outlets, in a defamation suit brought by an Austin-area dentist after Defendants reported on the tragic death of a 14-month dental patient who died as a result of complications from anest [...]
Laura Prather in Fox 4 on Texas House Bill’s Impact on Free Speech Protections
April 23, 2025
