Mark Stafford > Lee & Thompson LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Mark Stafford

020 3073 7600 markstafford@leeandthompson.com View profile View profile

Work Department

Dispute resolution.

Position

Mark is a partner in the firm’s Dispute Resolution, Brand Protection and Digital & Technology Groups. He joined Lee & Thompson in 2006 and handles all types of contentious work across the media and entertainment industries, for both individual talent and corporate clients.

Mark advises on the full spectrum of music industry disputes, from copyright infringement matters to breach of contract claims, acting for artists, labels, publishers, management companies and agents, and has been involved in a number of high profile Court actions. He was instructed by the Wailers in their well-publicised litigation against Island Records and has recently acted for Lily Allen in High Court proceedings.

Mark represents a number of talent clients, from mainstream heavyweights such as One Direction, Tom Jones, and Queen, through to more niche artists, such as FKA Twigs, Stormzy and Joey Negro.

Mark also represents a number of film and television clients, advising producers, distributors, financiers and agents on all types of contentious issues, as well as advising talent clients, such as Stephen Fry, Bill Bailey and Matt Lucas, on brand protection matters. Mark has a particularly strong reputation for pre-broadcast copyright and libel clearance work, which he regularly undertakes for the producers of high-profile feature films and television series. Recent highlights include ‘American Honey’, ‘The Man From Mo’Wax’, ‘Marcella’ and ‘Saddam Goes To Hollywood’.

An increasing part of Mark’s practice is his privacy and defamation work, in which he has represented a number of celebrities and corporate clients in disputes with print publications and online media platforms.

A member of the firm’s dedicated Digital & Technology Group, Mark also provides advice on disputes arising from internet activity, including online infringement, digital piracy and social media issues. He also advises on brand protection matters, including digital asset protection, trade mark registration and domain name acquisition.