Covington & Burling LLP | Practices, Industries & Regions

Our content practice is dedicated to providing sophisticated business and strategic solutions to complex problems in a highly competitive and dynamic marketplace ─ whether the problems involve the structuring of complex joint ventures for the creation and distribution of programming or other content, negotiations over the licensing of content, or litigation arising in the creative and distribution process. We are as experienced in structuring major media and content transactions as we are in solving complex regulatory, intellectual property and litigation problems arising in these fields. Our broad and deep media and content experience, and our industry understanding provides a critical value-added dimension for the legal and strategic advice and assistance we provide traditional and new media companies.

For example, Covington:

has been involved in the structuring of a variety of entities that create and deliver content to audiences on traditional (e.g., cable) and emergent (e.g., broadband) platforms;
is widely experienced in negotiating license agreements for the creation and distribution of content of all kinds to be used by both traditional and new media entities; and
has appeared in a range of litigation ─ and has counseled clients in ways to avoid litigation ─ at both the trial and appellate level that involve the structuring of the media industry, the protection of content and intellectual property rights, the relationships between creation and distribution entities, and the production and distribution of all kinds of programming and related content.

Representative Matters

We have counseled and represented a number of clients in recent years in the creation of joint ventures (using multiple platforms) for the delivery of a wide variety of television and other media content ─ from children’s television programming, to documentary material, to news and information, to traditional entertainment vehicles.
We have represented a number of cable program services in their relationships with distribution partners, and we have counseled a number of them on various aspects of program transactions.
We are advisers to Microsoft and other major online businesses as they move toward the development of traditional forms of media content for distribution on non-traditional platforms.

More Representative Matters

Accolades

Chambers USA, leading Media and Entertainment practice (2006-2007).
Best Lawyers in America, Covington partners are listed for First Amendment and Media law (2006).
Our partners have significant experience outside of the practice ─ for example, on Capitol Hill, where they were deeply involved in the development of telecommunications legislation, and in the executive suites of major and highly visible media companies.
Our partners have over the years held leadership positions in major associations in the media field ─ including the Federal Communications Bar Association, the International Radio and Television Society Foundation, the Media Institute and the Media Law Resource Center.
A Covington partner has recently served as president of the Defense Council Section of the Media Law Resource Center, the national organization of media defense attorneys, and as president of the First Amendment Advisory Council of the Media Institute.
A Covington partner received the Sprague Award and the President’s Medal from the National Press Photographers Association for service to the First Amendment.