Russell G. Weiss

RUSSELL “RUSTY” WEISS represents clients in the entertainment, sports, media, music, and technology industries on complex transactions with a particular focus on transactions involving the convergence of entertainment and technology.

In the entertainment, sports, media, and music industries, Rusty represents digital media, motion picture, television, video game, eSports, mobile, music, and toy companies as well as sports teams and leagues. He structures, negotiates, and drafts a broad range of agreements for these clients, involving the financing, acquisition, development, production, marketing, promotion, branding, distribution, publishing, sale, and other exploitation of digital media, motion pictures, television programming, video games, eSports leagues and tournaments, sports events, music, and consumer products.

In the technology industry, Rusty represents consumer electronics, cleantech, fintech, software, wireless, and semiconductor companies on their most important matters, including strategic alliances and joint ventures, technology development, licensing and procurement agreements, big data analytics and transactions, outsourcing and services arrangements, mergers and acquisitions, manufacturing and supply arrangements, distribution and reseller relationships, co-marketing agreements, and venture capital deals.

Rusty also counsels clients on cutting-edge intellectual property issues, involving a broad range of topics, including artificial intelligence, fair use, privacy, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, right of publicity, piracy, advertising, marketing, promotions, open source software, risk management and contract compliance, unfair competition, and trade secret protection and enforcement. He also represents clients on adversarial licensing and settlement agreements and has experience litigating and arbitrating cases involving intellectual property and commercial law issues in federal and state courts.

Frequently recognized in various legal publications for his achievements, Rusty was named by Variety in its Legal Impact Report (2017–2018, 2020–2023) and also by Variety in its “Dealmakers Impact Report” (2019, 2021-2023). He is recommend by The Best Lawyers in America for Entertainment Law and Technology Law (2010–2022), Euromoney’s Expert Guides (2015–2021), and The Legal 500 US (2014, 2016–2017). In 2014, the Los Angeles Business Journal named Rusty one of their “Most Influential Lawyers in Digital Media and Ecommerce Law.”

Prior to joining Sidley, Rusty was a partner at an international law firm and previously served as counsel both in the motion picture division at Columbia Pictures, as well as in the business and legal affairs department of Disney Interactive, Inc.

• Co-Chair, American Bar Association’s Video Game and Digital Media Conference
• Member, Planning Committee of the USC Intellectual Property Institute
• Past Chair, Association of Media and Entertainment Counsel’s Law Firm Advisory Board
• Governor, Beverly Hills Bar Association Board of Governors (2001 – 2004)
• Past Chair, Executive Committee of the Intellectual Property, New Media, and Internet Section of the Beverly Hills Bar Association