Lommen Abdo's Entertainment, Sports & Intellectual Property Department

Our Philosophy: The entertainment business is about passion and commitment. We practice law with a passion for creativity and a commitment to our clients’ success.

Our Team: The Lommen Abdo Entertainment & Sports Law department is co-chaired by Dan Satorius and Ken Abdo. With their combined 40+ years of experience, they bring extensive experience and expertise to helping individuals and businesses in the entertainment industry meet their needs.  Bob Donnelly adds 30 years as an attorney focusing solely on the representation of music industry clients.  Paul Bezilla's 25-plus years in the entertainment industry includes legal services for an array of high profile individuals and companies.  Tim Matson adds his considerable expertise in the intellectual property area, including IP litigation, to the group.  Lee Hutton is an NFL contract advisor and contributes his expertise of sports law to the group. Bryan Feldhaus is the associate attorney in this practice group.  Christie Healey, paralegal with the Entertainment & Sports Law Department, has a great depth of experience, having been a business affairs executive for major motion picture studios and distributors and television producers and financiers. Theresa Abdo Whelan has excellent credentials and many years of experience as an entertainment paralegal. Our team offers a broad range of capabilities and a depth of experience that make us competitive with entertainment firms anywhere.

Our Entertainment Team:  
Standing L-R:  Bob Donnelly, Lee Hutton, Theresa Abdo Whelan, Tim Matson, Christie Healey, Bryan Feldhaus
Sitting L-R: Paul Bezilla, Ken Abdo, Dan Satorius

Clients: Our clients include Grammy® Award-winning songwriters, recording and performing artists, producers, publishers, record companies, and studios in the music industry; authors and publishers in the literary and electronic publishing industry; Academy Award®, Emmy Award®, and Peabody Award-winning independent producers, writers, and television stations in the film and television industry.

Motion Picture and Television

• Option and Purchase Agreements
• Production Agreements
• Rights Acquisition Agreements
• Distribution Agreements
• Broadcast Licenses
• Cable Network Agreements
• Licensing Agreements
• Talent and Employment Agreements

• Recording Contracts
• Music Publishing Agreements
• Producer, Mixer, Engineer Agreements
• Endorsement and Sponsorship Deals
• Touring and Live Performance Transactions
• Band Agreements
• Music Licensing Agreements
• Distribution Agreements
• Talent Agreements

• Evaluations of potential marks, including searches for availability of trademarks and consultation as to selection
• Applications and registration of trademarks
• Enforcement of trademark rights and trademark disputes
• Trademark protection and development programs -- including training of client personnel
• Oppositions and cancellations
• Sending and responding to cease and desist notices
• Trademark licenses and other transactions involving trademarks
• Domain name protection
• Trademark portfolio management
• Litigation

• Registration
• Enforcement of copyrights
• Copyright licenses and other transactions involving trademarks
• Disputes involving copyrights
• Sending and responding to cease and desist notices
• Clearing rights in copyrights owned by others
• Copyright portfolio management including, for example, music publishing
• Litigation

• Content Acquisition Agreements
• Distribution Agreements
• Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Agreements
• Joint Ventures and Strategic Alliances
• Nondisclosure/Confidentiality Agreements
• Noncompetition Agreements
• Licenses
• Application Service Provider (ASP) Agreements
• Web Designer Agreements
• E-commerce Agreements
• IP Escrow Agreements
• Franchise Agreements

• Lommen Abdo attorneys are well known as successful litigators of complex and high-stakes law suits. We bring that successful experience to litigated disputes involving entertainment industry issues including, for example, transactions, copyrights, trademarks, and business disputes
• Mediation and other dispute resolution methods
• Arbitration

• Publishing Agreements
• Distribution Agreements
• Collaboration Agreements
• Licensing Agreements

• Business Structures: Corporations, Limited Liability Companies, and Partnerships
• Financing
• Securities Law

• Rights clearance work for entertainment properties (motion pictures, television programs, computer software, books, music, and websites) involving issues such as copyright, trademark, right of privacy/publicity, defamation, etc.
• Errors and Omission insurance matters, including attorney opinions
• Investor side evaluations
• Intellectual property audits

For more information contact Ken Abdo at 612-336-9316 or ken@lommen.com or Dan Satorius at 612-336-9332 or dsatorius@lommen.com.

DAN SATORIUS BLOGGING FROM SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL - Link to Dan's blog for Minnesota Public Radio and Gather.com from the Sundance Film Festival from January 19 to 23, 2008. 

DIGITAL AGE SHIFTS ROLES OF LABELS, MUSIC PUBLISHERS

DAN SATORIUS'S GUEST APPEARANCE ON TECH TALK ON TPT-17 - Dan discussed digital rights management. The program was produced by the University of Minnesota. Lommen Abdo client, Professor Jon Riedl, was also a guest. 

LAW AND BUSINESS OF THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRIES, 5TH EDITION

FROM BOOK TO SCREEN:  MINING LITERARY WORKS IN THE MOVIE BUSINESS

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY: FINANCING THE LOW-BUDGET INDEPENDENT FEATURE FILM WITH PRIVATE EQUITY SECURITIES OFFERINGS

CLEARING RIGHTS FOR FILM AND TELEVISION PRODUCTIONS

ENTERTAINMENT LAW ETHICS

SHOPPING RECORD DEALS

NET PROFITS

WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH PRODUCTION DEALS?

MANAGERS SHOULDN'T BE ENDANGERED SPECIES