Attorneys

DAVID M. GIVEN, partner and co-founder of the firm, began his career with the esteemed New York trial attorney Louis Nizer.  His current practice spans both commercial and class action litigation as well as transactional matters, the latter with a special emphasis on entertainment, technology and intellectual property law.  His clients include individuals and business entities engaged in a range of activities, including music and merchandising, video gaming, entertainment technology and software development.

For a two-year term, David served as chairman of the American Bar Association’s Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries. He has been a panelist and featured speaker at numerous entertainment, technology and video game industry events. He recently co-chaired with Steve Tapia (Microsoft’s lead in-house copyright attorney) the LSI-sponsored Entertainment Technology Law Summit in Seattle. In 2007, he was chosen to present the American Bar Association's annual Presidential Showcase Program, entitled “Privacy, Copyright and Parental Control in the Age of YouTube, MySpace and Beyond.” More recently, he authored an article entitled "Clash of the Titans: Viacom v. YouTube," which appeared in the January 25, 2010 issue of the Daily Journal.

For four consecutive Spring semesters, David lectured in law at the University of California at Berkeley, School of Law (Boalt Hall), where he helped develop and implement the core curriculum for the school's entertainment law class.

David graduated from Cornell University with a degree in French and Filmmaking and obtained his law degree from the University of Virginia. He is licensed to practice law in the States of New York and California.  He is a board member (Vice-Chairman) of the Blue Bear School of Music in San Francisco.

Publications

A Modern Pandora's Box: Music, the Internet and the Dilemma of Clearing Public Performance Rights. The article discusses the legal and policy principles at work in the clearance of public performance rights in music for internet service providers.

First Amendment Protection for Trademark Use. This article reviews the framework for evaluating unlawful trademark use, with particular focus on balancing constitutional issues against the possibility of public confusion.

"Plus Ca Change, Plus C'est La Meme Chose": European Coproduction Remains Viable, For Now. This article discusses the practicalities and requirements of European-American co-production of films and television programs, focusing on benefits of co-production such as shared funding and risk reduction.

Online Music Comparisons, A Practical Guide. This article reviews the practical and legal issues involved in music comparisons in the online world.