David Halberstadter Named to The Daily Journal's Top IP Lawyers List

On April 2, Los Angeles Litigation Partner and Deputy General Counsel David Halberstadter was named to The Daily Journal's list of Top IP Lawyers. The annual list honors California's leading lawyers in the patent litigation, trademark and copyright fields. David has received this accolade consecutively each year since 2018 and is being recognized for his illustrious career spanning 40 years in intellectual property (IP) law encompassing high-profile copyright cases and entertainment industry disputes.

David tells The Daily Journal that his journey into IP law was unplanned, stating, "Growing up and throughout college, I spent a lot of time watching television and going to movies, but I had no idea during law school that I could make a law career out of it." He added that although he knew "nothing about copyright law" at first, he discovered during law school that "if necessary, [he] could learn a full course in a couple of months." David then gained his first experience with copyright law through an infringement case assigned to him as a young associate.

The Daily Journal noted several of David's career highlights, including recently securing summary judgment for Lions Gate Entertainment and Starz Entertainment in a copyright infringement case involving the television series "P-Valley." Currently, two IP law trends that David is focused on are the application of fair use doctrine following the Supreme Court's decision in Warhol v. Goldsmith, and how the Ninth Circuit reviews copyright infringement cases dismissed by district courts on grounds that works aren't substantially similar as a matter of law.

"David Halberstadter – Top IP Lawyers," The Daily Journal, April 2, 2025

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