Lincoln Bandlow

Mr. Bandlow practices sophisticated business litigation and specializes in litigating media, First Amendment, intellectual property and other entertainment related matters. He represents clients in the motion picture, television, publishing, broadcasting, internet and advertising fields. In addition, Mr. Bandlow represents several of the principal underwriters for the entertainment industry.

Mr. Bandlow’s prior experience also includes his working in the Legal and Business Affairs Department for The Carsey-Werner Company, a television production company. He has litigated and tried cases in both state and federal courts in matters involving claims for copyright infringement, defamation, right of publicity, right of privacy, trademark infringement and related claims. He also acts as clearance counsel for studios, documentary filmmakers, publishers and other entities and individuals in the entertainment and media communities.

Mr. Bandlow is a frequent speaker on media and intellectual property issues and has written numerous articles for legal publications regarding media law and intellectual property. He was the president of the Los Angeles Copyright Society during its 2005-2006 term. In addition to practicing law, Mr. Bandlow has been a visiting professor at the Annenberg School of Journalism at the University of Southern California since the Spring of 1995, teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in Media and Entertainment Law. He also serves as a judge each year for the Pepperdine Law School Entertainment Law Moot Court competition and is a frequent guest speaker for USC Law School and Loyola Law School.

Court Memberships

• California

Honors

• Selected among the “Top 100 Power Lawyers” by The Hollywood Reporter, 2012
• Selected as “Leading Lawyer” by Chambers USA, 2011-2012
• Selected as a Southern California Super Lawyer, 2013
• Martindale-Hubbell® “AV” Rating

Events

Professional Affiliations

• Los Angeles Copyright Society
• Los Angeles Bar Association
• Beverly Hills Bar Association

Publications

• “Music to a Lawyer’s Ears: A New Treatise for Copyright Practitioners”, Los Angeles Daily Journal, January 9, 2009
• “Reality Show Releases: They May Need an Extreme Makeover”, MPI Source, Summer 2007
• “Language of Reality”, Los Angeles Daily Journal, May 3, 2007
• “New Treatise in Town: ‘Patry on Copyright’ Takes on Melville, 9th Circuit”, Los Angeles Daily Journal, April 16, 2007
• “Something is Rotten in the Courts in Illinois”, Los Angeles Daily Journal, February 21, 2007
• “Back for a Second Cup: Court of Appeal Sends Taster’s Choice Case Back for Retrial after Addressing Important Issues Regarding Right of Publicity Law”, New Matter - Official Publication of the Intellectual Property Law Section of the State Bar of California, Volume 32, Number 2, 2007
• “Net Notice: Giving Proper Notice To Service Providers”, Los Angeles Daily Journal, March 9, 2001
• “Creating a Monster: Courts Set High Standards for Disclaimers in Trademark Infringement Actions”, Los Angeles Daily Journal, May 10, 1999
• “Harmful Headline: Caption Alone Can Be Defamatory”, Los Angeles Daily Journal, April 16, 1999
• “Parody in Purple: District Court Holds that a Spoof of the Children's Character Barney was not an Infringement”, Los Angeles Daily Journal, February 1, 1999
• “Windup in Court: Identifiability in Right of Publicity Cases”, Los Angeles Daily Journal, December 14, 1998
• “Obscene Amphibian: First Amendment Protects Foul Frog on Beer Label”, Los Angeles Daily Journal, October 7, 1998
• “Clear View: Use of Works in Motion Pictures and the Fair Use Defense”, Los Angeles Daily Journal, August 31, 1998
• “Cliché Domain: Lyrics Invoking Popular Expressions are Unprotected”, Los Angeles Daily Journal, August 3, 1998
• “Sue Velvet: The Velvet Elvis Must ‘Leave the Building’ After a 5th Circuit Ruling Rejected the Parody Defense and Held that Nightclub Infringes the Trademark Rights of the Presley Estate”, Los Angeles Daily Journal, June 29, 1998
• “Parodies Lost: What's the Difference Between Taking and Targeting? Two Recent Federal Court Decisions Illustrate the Distinction and Provide Insight on what is Fair Use”, Los Angeles Daily Journal, February 12, 1998
• “Service Providers Given Insulation From Liability”, Los Angeles Daily Journal, December 26, 1997
• “Imitation of Life: Fictionalization of Real People in Films”, Los Angeles Daily Journal, November 5, 1997
• “Pinching the Prop: A Recent Case Sheds Light on When Television Show Producers Should Seek Permission Before Using a Copyrighted Work on a Set”, Los Angeles Daily Journal, October 27, 1997
• “Provider Protection: Federal Court Ruling May Shield Internet Services”, Los Angeles Daily Journal, June 26, 1997
• “Ninth Circuit Strikes Down Federal Law Banning the Broadcast of Advertisements for Casino Gambling”, LDRC Libel Letter, March 1997
• “Ninth Circuit Upholds Statutes That Restrict the Use of Automatic Dialing and Announcing Devices”, LDRC Libel Letter, August 1996
• “Beyond Infringe”, Los Angeles Daily Journal, April 25, 1996
• “Trademark Dilution: Make a Federal Case Out of It”, Los Angeles Daily Journal, April 15, 1996
• “Did CBS Choke? Network May Have Had Little Reason To Fear a Tobacco Company Lawsuit”, Los Angeles Daily Journal, January 11, 1996

Presentations

• Speaker, “IP Triage for the In-House Attorney”, St. Louis Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel, June 2011
• Panelist, 2nd Annual NetDiligence , Cyber Risk & Privacy Liability Forum, “Social Media Maze: Liability in Behavioral Advertising and Social Media Sites”, Philadelphia, June 9, 2011
• Panelist, Annual Meeting of the ABA Forum on Communications Law – Hot Issues in Entertainment Law, Palm Springs, February 5, 2011
• Panelist, NAB Show 2010: How to Avoid Being Crushed by Legal Risks Associated with New Media, April 13, 2010
• Speaker, Current Issues in Entertainment Law: Hot Negotiation Issues, Rights of Publicity and Trademarks, March 26, 2010
• Speaker, San Francisco Green Film Festival, Presentation On Bananas!*, San Francisco, March 6, 2010
• Speaker, Berlinale Film Market, “Bananas!* v. Dole, a case study:  How do we protect ourselves when we're attacked?  How do we support one another?”, Berlin, February 15, 2010
• Panelist, NATPE Conference, “Lights, Camera, Lawsuit”, Las Vegas, January 26, 2010
• Speaker, Film, TV and New Media Law Seminar, “Use of Copyrighted Works and Celebrity Images in Film and Television”, Los Angeles, January 21, 2010
• Panelist, First Annual World Fair Use Day, Washington D.C., January 12, 2010
• Speaker, American Bar Association's Forum on Communications Law - Right of Publicity, Los Angeles, October 22, 2009
• Speaker, Nordisk Panorama Five Cities Film Festival, “Bananas!*: A Case Study”, Iceland, September 28, 2009 
• Panelist, Los Angeles County Bar Association, “Intellectual Property & the Campaign: A View from the Trenches”, Los Angeles, February 2009  
• Panelist, NATPE Conference, “Lights, Camera, Lawsuit”, Las Vegas, January 27, 2009
• Panelist, Los Angeles County Bar Association, Intellectual Property & Entertainment Law Section, “Are Your Rights Clear?  Clearance of Movie and Television Rights Around the World”, Los Angeles, November 11, 2008
• Speaker, RIMS, “Multimedia Liability Issues”, San Diego, April 28, 2008
• Panelist, LATV Festival, “Distributing and Promoting Your Content Online”, Los Angeles, July 26, 2007
• Panelist, Los Angeles County Bar Association, “When Shall I Be Released? TV & Film Releases: Practices and Problems”, Los Angeles, May 22, 2007
• Speaker, Phoenix Forum, “Cover Your Ass[ets]”, Phoenix, March 30, 2007
• Speaker, Film & Television Law: Entertainment in the Digital Age, “Copyright and Infringement Claims”, Los Angeles, September 28, 2006
• Speaker, Basics of U.S. Copyright Practice Seminar, “Protecting Against Copyright Infringement”, April 21, 2006
• Speaker, Understanding Basic Copyright Law Seminar, “Outline of Copyright Law”, Los Angeles, August 8, 2002
• Speaker, Understanding Basic Copyright Law Seminar, “Outline of Copyright Law”, Los Angeles, January 9, 2001
• Panelist, Electronic Commerce:  Doing Business Online, “Liability of System Providers for Defamation, Obscenity, and other Objectionable Forms of Online Content - A Panel Presentation”, Bellevue, Washington, September 21, 1995