Buchalter

Intellectual Property Law

Stephen J. Strauss is a Shareholder and Co-Chair of the Firm’s Entertainment Industry Group. For over 30 years, Mr. Strauss has specialized in domestic and international trademark, copyright, and unfair competition matters, including licensing, Internet domain name disputes, and litigation. He has prosecuted over two thousand U.S. and foreign trademark and service mark applications, and won over 60 UDRP decisions. Mr. Strauss also provides various legal production services for documentary and narrative films and scripted and unscripted television projects (including development, rights acquisition, rights and title clearances, and IP protection and enforcement).

Mr. Strauss represents a number of internationally recognized celebrities, sports personalities, recording artists, chefs, authors, social media influencers, and media and entertainment companies. He also represents a wide range of diverse clients in the fields of cosmetics and fragrances, motion picture and television production, comic book publishing, restaurants, alcoholic beverages and wines, vegetable and fruit production, vitamins and nutritional supplements, financial and real estate services, medical services, energy, computer software and artificial intelligence, clothing, toys, digital collectibles and tokens, and labor unions.

Recent Projects

• Charmaine’s Kitchen (Reality/Lifestyle TV Pilot – 2024)
• American Cats: The Good, The Bad & The Cuddly (Documentary Film – 2024)
• Claim to Fame (Reality Competition TV – 2022)
• Cooking with Curtis (Reality TV – 2022)
• Lookalike Love (Reality TV – 2021)
• Rock Camp: The Movie (Documentary Film – 2021)
• Making Apes: The Artists Who Changed Film (Documentary Film – 2019)
• Amazing Grace (Documentary Film – 2019)

Cinenegotiations Blog

• Lost in America
• True Grit
• Scrooged
• Nightcrawler
• Lincoln
• Jaws
• 1776
• Norma Rae
• The Bride of Frankenstein

The Elizabeth Taylor Trust, Interplanet Productions Limited and The Elizabeth Taylor Cosmetics Company v. Trai Pham, FA2508002172964 (Forum, September 16, 2025) The Elizabeth Taylor Trust, Interplanet Productions Limited and The Elizabeth Taylor Cosmetics Company v. Shawn Rucks, FA2507002166852 (Forum August 15, 2025) Truong Giang Corporation v. nka abjhb/Not Applicable, FA2505002156520 (Forum June 13, 2025) The Elizabeth Taylor Trust, Interplanet Productions Limited, and The Elizabeth Taylor Cosmetics Company v. Deborah Carruthers, FA2502002139264 (Forum March 18, 2025) Screen Actors Guild-American Federation Of Television And Radio Artists v. Mona Carla Toca, FA2412002130540 (Forum January 15, 2025) The Elizabeth Taylor Trust, Interplanet Productions Limited and The Elizabeth Taylor Cosmetics Company v. David Varro, FA2412002128380 (Forum January 2, 2025) Screen Actors Guild-American Federation Of Television And Radio Artists v. Edin Sinanovic, FA2407002107147 (Forum August 14, 2024) Screen Actors Guild-American Federation Of Television And Radio Artists v. John Costello/Sports.Gives, FA2404002092055 (Forum May 6, 2024) The Elizabeth Taylor Trust, Interplanet Productions Limited and The Elizabeth Taylor Cosmetics Company v. Saad Gondal, FA2404002091220 (Forum April 26, 2024) Todd McFarlane and TMP International LLC v. Tim wang, FA2312002073747 (Forum January 1, 2024) The Elizabeth Taylor Trust, Interplanet Productions Limited and The Elizabeth Taylor Cosmetics Company v. Ivaan Silva/Vilnius, FA2309002060796 (Forum October 3, 2023) Todd McFarlane and TMP International LLC v. ye chen, FA2301002029529 (Forum March 3, 2023) My Fist Productions, Inc. v. Portfolio Admin/Old Mill Sites, FA2004001891154 (Forum May 10, 2020) Jeanine Amapola, Inc. v. Courtney Perkins Ferreira, FA2004001891168 (Forum May 6, 2020) Daniel Handler v. Masanori Toriimoto/PLAN-B Co. Ltd, FA1803001778986 (Forum May 7, 2018) Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists v. Lan Wei, FA1606001681144 (Forum August 3, 2016) Robert Downey Jr. v. Shashank Argawal, FA1409001581490 (Nat. Arb. Forum Nov. 10, 2014) Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and Screen Actors Guild, Inc. and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists v. Secured Financial Group / Steve Snyder, FA1204001439293 (Nat. Arb. Forum May 17, 2012) Idris Elba and Myone Media Inc. v. Direct Privacy ID 6D6CC, FA1108001402898 (Nat. Arb. Forum Sep. 15, 2011) WIDE awake-Death Row Entertainment LLC v. LogoMaster.com, FA1104001382039 (Nat. Arb. Forum May 17, 2011) Eva Longoria v. Momentum Technology Corporation c/o Paul Barbell, FA1103001380027 (Nat. Arb. Forum May 3, 2011) Anthony Hopkins and The Trustees of The Samson Holding Trust, dated December 12, 2005 v. Private Whois Service c/o anthonyhopkins.com, FA1007001337181 (Nat. Arb. Forum Aug. 26, 2010) Janet Jackson v Twisted Elegance Interactive, FA0909001286306 (Nat. Arb. Forum 2009) George Hamilton v. BWI Domain Manager c/o Domain Manager, FA0904001259771 (Nat. Arb. Forum 2009) Christine Ellen Hynde a/k/a Chrissie Hynde v. LOVEARTH.net, FA0809001223929 (Nat. Arb. Forum 2008) Patrick Dempsey and TDS 66 Productions, Inc. v. Jennifer Frisby, FA0808001218786 (Nat. Arb. Forum 2008) SeeMore Putter Company v. shoebotech c/o You Kwon Kim, FA0804001180718 (Nat. Arb. Forum 2008) Jason Bateman v. Yin Sung, FA0711001114949 (Nat. Arb. Forum 2008) Richard Starkey v. Mr. Bradley, FA0612000874575 (Nat. Arb. Forum 2007) Amanda De Wolf (formerly Moon) and the Estate of Keith Moon v. Dennis Schimka, FA0608000780199 (Nat. Arb. Forum 2006) Fred Astaire v. Pingtjin Thum, FA0601000637404 (Nat. Arb. Forum 2006) Dame Elizabeth Taylor, The Elizabeth Taylor Cosmetics Company & Interplanet Productions Limited v. K Myers, FA0508000547795 (Nat. Arb. Forum 2005) Stevland Morris a/k/a Stevie Wonder v. Unofficial Fan Club c/o Web Master, FA0504000453986 (Nat. Arb. Forum 2005) June Bug Enterprises, Inc. v. Mercedita Kyamko, 73 U.S.P.Q.2d 1310 (NAF 2004) Sebastian International, Inc. v. Longs Drug Stores Crop., 34 U.S.P.Q. 2d 1720 (9th Cir. 1995) Cheatham v. Paisano Publications, Inc., 891 F. Supp. 381 (W.D. KY 1995) Sebastian International, Inc. v. Longs Drug Stores Crop., 30 U.S.P.Q.2d 1785 (C.D. Cal 1994) Leegin Creative Leather Products, Inc. v. M.M. Rogers and Company, 33 U.S.P.Q.2d 1158 (C.D. Cal 1994) Printer’s Services Co. v. Bondurant, 20 U.S.P.Q.2d 1626 (C.D. Cal 1994) Advanced Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. v. SciMed Life Systems, Inc., 988 F.2d 1157 (Fed. Cir. 1993) Randomex, Inc. v. Scopus Corp., 849 F.2d 585 (Fed. Cir. 1988)

Recognized as a 2025 Leading IP Practitioner by the World IP Review

Member, Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys Member, The Television Academy Member, Recording Academy (NARAS) Member, British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Member, Visual Effects Society, a non-profit professional, honorary society representing visual effects practitioners in all areas of entertainment Adjunct Associate Professor and Member, the Alumni Association Board of Directors and Executive Board of the Biederman Entertainment & Media Law Institute at Southwestern Law School. Co-Founder, The Southwestern Law School American Inn of Court Lecturer, Entertainment Intellectual Property Law and Celebrity Branding: the American Bar Association, the International Trademark Association, the International Intellectual Property Law Association, the USC Gould Institute of Entertainment Law and Business, the Beverly Hills Bar Association, the Association of Corporate Counsel, WME, SAG-AFTRA, and the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST).

Admissions California U.S. District Court for the Central District of California U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit United States Court of Appeals Ninth Circuit United States Court of Appeals Federal Circuit Education Southwestern Law School, J.D. American University, B.A., Political Science American University, M.A. in Political Science