King & Spalding LLP's business litigation practice is spearheaded by music litigation heavyweight Kenneth Steinthal and entertainment specialist Arwen Johnson from San Francisco and Los Angeles, respectively. The practice is a leading force in the music copyright infringement space under the leadership of Steinthal who is praised as a 'supreme legal talent in the copyright music field'. He is the go-to for digital audio and audio-visual content distribution expertise. The firm also represents entertainment companies in theft of idea disputes, defamation, First Amendment, music contract and licensing disputes. Johnson mainly advises Hollywood studios on commercial litigation, including copyright infringement, contractual disputes and idea theft. In Washington DC, David Mattern is experienced in representing media and technology companies in cases involving user content, rate court disputes and copyright litigation.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
- Profile
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Kenneth Steinthal and David Mattern are subject matter experts with regard to music rights under U.S. law. They provide guidance on a myriad of issues related to potential rights implications of digital platform music-related features and functionalities. They have deep and wide experience representing digital platforms in music-related litigation. ’
‘The lawyers at King & Spalding stand out in the following areas: strategic thinking, written work product, efficiency, depth of experience (particularly in cases involving the entertainment industry) and diversity.’
‘The two lawyers with whom I have worked that are particularly outstanding are Arwen Johnson and Kelly Perigoe. Arwen is one of the finest lawyers in the country -- an excellent trial lawyer, a brilliant strategic thinker and a wonderful human being. Kelly is one of the finest appellate lawyers in the country. Like Arwen, she is an excellent strategic thinker and her written work product is superb. ’
‘King & Spalding has great expertise and is very focused and responsive. They understand the particular issues of each client and understand how to get to the objectives effectively and efficiently.’
‘Kenneth Steinthal has exceptional and superior experience and expertise in complex copyright and music law matters and nuances. He's an industry MVP.’
‘Kenneth Steinthal is extraordinarily knowledgeable, savvy, and a supreme legal talent in the copyright music field. ’
‘Kenneth Steinthal has built a stand out team. This King & Spalding team of lawyers is competitive with any firm operating in this space.’
‘Kenneth Steinthal is one of the most experienced lawyers in this space. Superb negotiator and litigator.’
Key clients
- A&E Television Networks
- AMC Networks
- Audacity
- BBC
- Bloomberg TV and Radio
- ByteDance/TikTok
- Comcast/NBCUniversal
- Corporation for Public Broadcasting
- Cumulus Media
- DISH
Work highlights
- Represented Comedy Central and Paramount Global in two putative class actions as defendants, relating to royalties allegedly due to comedians for the performances of their recordings on digital streaming services.
- Represented the Radio Music License Committee in proceedings against ASCAP and BMI, challenging royalty rates subject to regulatory provisions under the ASCAP and BMI antitrust consent decrees.
- Assisted TikTok with several hundred high-profile lawsuits that allege harm to underaged users of “social media.”
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next generation partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
David Mattern
Practice head
Kenneth L. Steinthal; Arwen Johnson
Other key lawyers
David Mattern; Kelly Perigoe