Practice Areas
Jeff Briggs’ trial and counseling practice emphasizes establishing and protecting his clients’ intellectual property rights (particularly trademarks, trade dress, copyrights, and trade secrets), and related contract unfair competition litigation in state and federal trial and appellate courts.
Jeff also has substantial experience in a wide variety of other and business litigation matters in the entertainment and other Southern California industries, from complex contract issues to matters concerning corporate governance. Among other things, Jeff has represented a number of successful sole proprietorships and closely held family enterprises in myriad personal and business matters for many years. He also serves as general counsel for several nonprofit organizations, counseling them on a wide variety of legal matters from real estate to employment to legislative affairs.
Trial Experience
Jeff Briggs is an experienced trial lawyer in an age in which most business litigators rarely get to trial. Significant trials he has handled include unanimous jury verdicts on affirmative claims and in defense against counterclaims in a contract suit involving assignment of credit card processing services and related agreements; the successful defense of an iconic musical performing group in trademark, unfair competition, and publicity rights claims by a former member of the group; successful federal court jury trial of a multimillion dollar copyright infringement claim involving inauthentic artwork; successful federal jury trial and appellate representation of a cruise line in litigation over trade secrets and copyrights related to a computer database; successful federal court jury trial representation of a theme park in defense of its trademarked name; successful federal court bench trial defense of a national retailer against copyright, trademark, and trade dress infringement claims; representation of a telecommunications company in a federal “logo” infringement trial and appeal; successful state court jury trial defense of a multi-million dollar “bad faith” insurance claim; successful state court bench trial over mineral exploitation and related contract rights; state court bench trial of “alter ego” business claims; and successful state court jury trial defense of a cruise line against a personal injury claim.
Jeff also conducted several successful criminal prosecutions in a month-long training stint with the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office in the early 1980s.
Aside from defending appeals after successful trials, Jeff’s appellate experience includes assisting in a successful federal appeal of a damage claim in an antitrust lawsuit tried to a federal jury by another law firm and the successful appellate defense of an anti-SLAPP motion.
Litigation Experience
Significant litigation Jeff Briggs has handled that did not get to trial includes the successful pre-trial defense of copyright claims pursued by a songwriter against several studios and their licensees; representation of a famous performing group in defense of licensing and personality rights claims; representation of the owners of a patented eye surgery device in defense of their patent and licensing rights against a multinational medical device company; representation of a sportswear company in a dispute with a professional basketball player over its rights to a tradename he claimed as his “nickname;” representation of a national retailer in a trademark licensing dispute; representation of an international art publisher in a $50 million RICO, antitrust, and copyright dispute with a world-renowned artist; the preservation of rights to trademarks related to two internationally known landmarks in an action brought by the California Attorney General; and a $160 million closely held corporate dissolution action and related contract and trademark disputes.
General Counseling
Jeff also has counseled business, individual, and family clients in matters involving the entertainment industry, artwork, construction, insurance, real estate, and family estates. Examples include representation of a major film studio, a prominent entertainment industry photographer, an artist, and several successful motion picture and television personalities in trademark, copyright, and publicity rights matters; the conversion to and successful protection and defense of new names by two multimillion-dollar New York Stock Exchange companies (and others); representation of a landowner in the development and construction of an art museum on his property; and the representation of several manufacturing companies in a variety of contract, employment, governance, acquisition, and related matters.
Jeff also has represented a number of celebrities and business executives in a variety of matters pertaining to their professional, personal, charitable, and general interests.