Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton is a reference in the market for complex copyright litigation, representing clients in technology, media, and software. The group is active in class actions, false advertising claims and licensing disputes, in addition to advisory and transactional work. At the helm of the practice in Silicon Valley, Angela Dunning is best known for representing technology firms in copyright and trade dress disputes involving generative AI. In March 2025, Clement Naples, Bert C. Reiser, Gregory Sobolski, S.Giri Pathmanaban and Thomas Yeh joined the team from Latham & Watkins .
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Angela Dunning is the elite of the elite. She's a tremendous orator and issue spotter; succinct, persuasive and brilliant.'
Key clients
- Alibaba.com Singapore E-Commerce Private Limited
- Eternix Ltd.
- Meta Platforms
- Midjourney, Inc.
Work highlights
Represented Meta Platforms in the successful defense in one of the first copyright cases involving the use of literary works to train generative AI.
Defending Midjourney, a prominent generative AI art platform, in connection with a class action lawsuit asserting copyright and trademark claims arising out of the training, development, advertising, and use of its platform.
Advised AliExpress/Alibaba Group in a copyright and trademark case filed by Grumpy Cat Ltd. against sellers on the AliExpress platform, validating that third party platforms have standing to challenge overbroad TROs entered in suits involving their users.
Practice head
Angela L. Dunning
Other key lawyers
Clement Naples; Bert C. Reiser; Gregory Sobolski; S.Giri Pathmanaban; Thomas Yeh