Three Katten Attorneys Named Among California’s Top Intellectual Property Attorneys

LOS ANGELES – Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP is pleased to announce that three of its Los Angeles-based attorneys, Susan Grode, co-chair of Katten’s national Entertainment and Media Practice, David Halberstadter, a partner in the firm’s Litigation Practice, and Gail Migdal Title, chair of the firm’s national Entertainment and Media Litigation Practice and managing partner of the Los Angeles office, have been named to the Daily Journal’s 2010 list of the Top Intellectual Property Attorneys in California. Ms. Grode is listed as one of the Top 25 Intellectual Property Portfolio Managers, and Mr. Halberstadter and Ms. Title are recognized among the Top 75 Intellectual Property Litigators.

The Daily Journal selects attorneys for inclusion on its list based on a number of criteria, including each nominee’s major intellectual property successes over the last year.

Susan Grode
Ms. Grode concentrates her practice in entertainment, intellectual property, licensing, merchandising, interactive games, Internet and media law, counseling and representing domestic and international motion picture studios, film and television product and distribution companies and entrepreneurs, as well as book publishing, toy, game and online companies, and theater and arts institutions. She is recognized as one of the leading authorities on domestic and international animation, licensing and merchandising, and has represented major motion picture and animation studios and numerous production and toy companies, as well as the creators and executive producers of some of the world’s best-known television franchises. Prior to entering private law practice, Ms. Grode was vice president at the world’s largest art book publisher.

David Halberstadter
Mr. Halberstadter is one of the entertainment industry’s leading intellectual property practitioners, who both prosecutes and defends claims of copyright infringement, idea misappropriation, trademark infringement and unfair competition on behalf of motion picture studios and production companies, television networks and producers, and Internet/new media companies. Mr. Halberstadter regularly provides pre-litigation and non-litigation counseling on intellectual property issues, such as fair use and parody, First Amendment rights vs. rights of publicity, the analysis of potential rights acquisitions and transfers, licensing matters, chain-of-title documentation and copyright termination. He also frequently reviews books, films, screenplays, motion picture and television treatments, magazine articles and other works in order to assess and reduce the risks of third-party claims based upon the publication of such works, including potential claims of copyright and trademark infringement, defamation, and violation of the rights of privacy and/or publicity. He has analyzed such issues in connection with well over 100 motion picture and television projects.

Gail Migdal Title
A high-profile entertainment industry client recently described Ms. Title as “one of the finest entertainment litigators in the nation,” based on her “strong, aggressive advocacy, razor sharp intellect and innate sensitivity to the business needs of the client.” These accomplishments would likely be echoed by many of Ms. Title’s clients, as in the past five years she has won dismissals in nearly all of her intellectual property cases, while favorably settling the remainder. By consistently securing dismissals in these types of cases, she has played a significant role in developing the law in this area. Ms. Title’s practice includes all aspects of the entertainment industry, from motion picture and television development, finance and production, to distribution in all media worldwide. Her representation covers a broad range of legal and business issues that arise in the entertainment and technology industries, including copyright, trademark, unfair competition, contract and business torts.

Katten’s national Intellectual Property Practice provides a complete range of services for domestic and international companies seeking to protect and benefit from their intellectual property. The firm’s intellectual property attorneys help clients to assess, safeguard and maximize the value of their intellectual property. Our seasoned litigators enforce, protect and defend our clients’ patent, trademark and copyright rights in jurisdictions across the United States and abroad, and have been lead trial counsel on some of the most significant intellectual property cases in history.