Charles N. Shephard

• Represented (for 25 years) Toho Co., Ltd., the owner of the intellectual property rights to the character Godzilla, policing the unauthorized use of Toho’s copyrights and trademarks and where necessary filing litigation to enforce those rights
• Lead counsel in JAMS arbitration, JAMS appeal, and appeal to California Court of Appeal in case of Toho- Towa Co. Ltd. vs. Morgan Creek Productions, Inc. (2013) involving distribution in Japan of the motion picture The Good Shephard. Multi-million judgment on behalf of our client entered and affirmed
• Lead counsel for Warren Beatty in litigation against Tribune Media Services, Inc. concerning ownership of motion picture and television rights to Dick Tracy. Mr. Beatty prevailed on summary judgment
• Lead counsel for Uma Thurman in litigation against HandMade films for breach of acting agreement for the film Eloise in Paris. Case settled on eve of trial
• Lead trial counsel in Dustin Hoffman’s successful right of publicity trial against Los Angeles Magazine concerning the unauthorized digital alteration of Mr. Hoffman’s image
• Litigated on behalf of talent and studios in connection with a variety of contractual and other entertainment dispute matters including:

1. disputes as to whether negotiations between talent and a studio have resulted in a binding agreement between the parties
2. disputes as to whether granted rights were to cover new media and technologies
3. disputes as to whether studios have accurately accounted to profit participants who have contingent compensation interests
4. disputes between talent and their representatives, including disputes between talent, on the one hand, and their managers and agents on the other
5. idea submission cases in which it has been alleged that ideas submitted by one party to another were used without consent or appropriate compensation
6. copyright infringement claims
7. disputes concerning breaches of fiduciary duties and the dissolution of entertainment partnerships

• Lead counsel in connection with successful appellate proceedings before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal, resulting in a published opinion,  in the case of Nippon Herald Films, Inc., v. New Regency Productions, Inc. (2007) involving issues of arbitrator neutrality and disclosure requirements
• Lead counsel in numerous arbitrations before the Independent Film & Television Alliance (formerly AFMA) regarding international distribution of motion pictures, representing both producers and distributors