The Media and Entertainment Litigation team at King & Spalding covers the entire scope of IP matters, with experience extending to copyright infringement, contract and licensing disputes, and matters before the Copyright Royalty Board. The group stands out for its expertise in the music industry, representing high-profile entertainment companies in copyright and theft of idea disputes. Based in San Fransisco, Kenneth Steinthal is noted for his expertise in digital audio and audio-visual content distribution, and frequently defends distribution platforms from copyright owners’ claims of clearance obligations. Entertainment litigator Arwen Johnson co-leads the team from the Los Angeles office, and is active in cases involving idea theft, copyright infringement and contract disputes for major Hollywood studios such as The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros. Entertainment. David Mattern is equipped to handle copyright litigation and AI matters, and works from the Washington DC office. The firm gained new practice co-head Neel Chatterjee from Goodwin in July 2025, whilst Paul Fakler and Jacob Ebin joined from Mayer Brown in January 2026.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The California offices of King & Spalding have a strong bench of lawyers with deep experience in "soft IP," including copyright. There is no more talented group of lawyers in California. Particular strengths are strategic thinking, collaborative teamwork, efficiency, excellent writing - all from a diverse group of lawyers who are well respected in the legal community.’
‘Arwen Johnson and Kelly Perigoe are both exceptional lawyers with a deep understanding of copyright law. They stand out because of their strategic thinking and superior writing, which results in effective, persuasive work product. They also are engaged in local bar activities and well respected by other lawyers and the courts.’
‘This firm has very strong partners in terms of business savvy expertise, who are fast to respond to in-house counsel inquiries. My company tends to need highly specific legal & business affairs partner-level responses and engagement.’
‘Kenneth Steinthal is probably the top expert in the United States in public performance rights music law. We have followed Kenneth from his prior firm to King & Spalding for this level of expertise and experience. He is also proactive and quick to recommend his colleagues when he sees items in the news where he feels his firm is unique or has the exact experience we need (e.g., for a pending litigation). This has led to us expanding our work with his firm, and the results have been very positive.’
Key clients
- A&E Television Networks
- AMC Networks
- Audacy (formerly known as Entercom and including CBS Radio)
- BBC
- Bloomberg TV and Radio
- ByteDance/TikTok
- Comcast/NBCUniversal
- Corporation for Public Broadcasting, including NPR and PBS
- Cumulus Media
- DISH
- Disney/ESPN
- EarthLink
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
Kenneth Steinthal; Arwen Johnson; Neel Chatterjee
Other key lawyers
David Mattern; Paul Fakler; Jacob Ebin; Kelly Perigoe