Steven Lowe Attorney

First Admitted: 1984, New York

Professional Webpage: https://lowelaw.com/steven-t-lowe/

Bar/Professional Activity:

Founder and Co-Chair of California Society of Entertainment Lawyers (C.S.E.L.), 2013
United States Supreme Court, 2014
Member, California Lawyers for the Arts
U.S. District Court Central District of California, 1986
Chair and Panelist, Beverly Hills Bar Association Entertainment Law Section's May 15th panel entitled, "Death of Copyright: The Sequel"
Member, Beverly Hills Bar Association - Entertainment Law Committee
U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 1989
Member, State Bar of California
Elected Co-Chair of California Society of Entertainment Lawyers (C.S.E.L.), 2015
Member, Los Angeles Bar Association
California, 1985
Panelist and co-chair, CSEL panel entitled, "Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Trends", 2016

Verdicts/Settlements (Case Results):

Brittle v. Time Warner, Inc., 2017 WL 3047058 (E.D.Va June 20, 2017)
Van Dyke v. Lions Gate Entm't, Inc., No. SACV 13-454-JLS, 2014 WL 12470017 (C.D. Cal. July 23, 2014)
Kabehie v. Zoland, 102 Cal. App. 4th 513 (2002)
Van Dyke v. Lions Gate Entm't, Inc., No. SACV 13-454-JLS ANX, 2014 WL 950765 (C.D. Cal. Mar. 11, 2014)
Chase Bank U.S.A. v. Hawkins: Won trial on behalf of debtor, 2010
Fontana v. Harra, No. CV 12-10708 CAS JCGX, 2013 WL 990014 (C.D. Cal. Mar. 12, 2013)
Sepe v. Sepe-Wiesenfeld, No. B23687, 2013 WL 1834735 (Cal. Ct. App. May 2, 2013)
The Jackson Sisters v. Universal Music Group: In 1973, The Jackson Sisters recorded one album, which sold very few copies, and ended their music career in 1976. Fast-forward 30 years. The Jackson Sisters discovered that they had become a cult sensation in Europe and Japan. The Jackson Sisters had never received one dime from the sales of their album. Lowe Law successfully represented The Jackson Sisters in their action against Universal Music Group, the distributor of their recordings, to obtain back royalties and on a going forward basis, 2009
Morandell Imports v. Bischofshof et al. Settled a breach of contract dispute between a German beer brewery and a US-based distributor. Settlement sum withheld for purposes of preserving confidentiality, 2014
Tamara Johnson v. VH-1, et al. Settled idea theft case involving show "Hollywood Exes" after winning multiple Motions for Summary Judgement. Names and settlement sum withheld for purposes of confidentiality, 2015
Von Radic v. Meyers: Won jury verdict and awarded punitive damages. Case involved fraud and breach of contract, 2011
431 N. Doheney Drive Homeowners Association v. Ammar et. al. : Settled at mediation. Case had been ongoing for several years. Also settled a claim against client’s previous attorneys, 2010
Ergo Software v. Gold Metal: Settled case regarding a former employee who created a competing software company. Settlement is confidential, 2009
Reached a pre-litigation settlement with respect to a copyright infringement dispute between a celebrity photographer and a major US record label. Names and settlement sum withheld for purposes of confidentiality, 2014
Settled federal trademark infringement and misappropriation of trade secrets case on courthouse steps after defeating Motion for Summary Judgement. Names and settlement sum withheld for purposes of confidentiality, 2016
Brown v. Catullo Et. Al.: Settled two cases for Melanie Brown f/k/a “Scary Spice” concerning a dispute with her former business partners. Settlement is confidential, 2011
McGhee v. MTV et. al.: In December 2010, judge overruled MTV's second demurrer to complaint and in doing so cited to Mr. Lowe’s article, “Pre-emptive Strike,” published in the December 2003 edition of Los Angeles Lawyer. Thereafter, the case quickly settled, 2010
ImaginArt LLC v. Allucra et. al.: Lowe Law represented plaintiff in a high profile dispute with the father/co-manager of internationally famous artist/sculptor Alexandra Nechita. This case was settled in 2010. The opposing party has since hired the firm to represent them in another case, 2010
Reached a pre-litigation settlement between Russian pop star and a famous American producer. Names and settlement sum withheld for purposes of confidentiality, 2013
Reached settlement in VanDyke v. Friends Media et al. after successfully defending motion for summary judgment, 2014
Visage Fine Arts, Inc v. Global Fine Arts. Won motion for summary judgment for a renowned artist client and then the case quickly settled, 2012

Representative Clients:

Paula Petrella v. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc., United States Supreme Court (Mr. Lowe serves as amicus curiae counsel). U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari
Represent Tamara Johnson in lawsuit against VH-1, Lynch-Dyson Entertainment and other alleged creators of the VH-1 hit show, "Hollywood Exes", 2015
Represent screenwriter Douglas Jordan-Benel in copyright infringement/idea theft case against Universal Studios, UTA, James DeMonaco Platinum Dunes, and others regarding the 2013 hit, "The Purge". Steven Lowe and his colleague Aleksandra Hilvert successfully defended two F.R.C.P. 12(b)(6) motions, two F.R.C.P. 12(f) motions, and one anti-SLAPP motion in the summer of 2015
William Sepe v. Music Royalty Consulting, Inc., Lisa Sepe and the Sepe Family Trust. Won on appeal

Transactions:

Performed all transactions in connection with the movie, Dark House
Obtained credit on behalf of Mary Beth Fielder for Togetherness Supreme, an award-winning movie, in which the producers had refused to credit her. She is now credited as a producer and writer

Pro bono/Community Service:

Guest panelist for the California Lawyers for the Arts
Provided free legal advice for clients of California Lawyers for the Arts
14th Annual Pepperdine University School of Law National Entertainment Law Moot Court Competition in November 2011

Honors/Awards:

Nathan Burkan Memorial Award in Copyright Law, 1983
9.4 Avvo rating
Mr. Lowe's professional excellence has earned him the coveted AV-rating by Martindale Hubbell since 1998, AV Rated Lawyer, Martindale Hubbell, 1998

Educational Background:

Greenwich High School, Greenwich, CT, 1976
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, B.S., 1980

Scholarly Lectures/Writings:

Mr. Lowe's 2010 article entitled "Death of Copyright" examines the current state of copyright law; specifically, how the studios (and networks) have prevailed in virtually all copyright infringement cases against them. Approximately 50 cases were identified in the article, and another 10 cases have been decided since then. Under the current state of copyright law, it is almost impossible for a screenwriter to win. For the reasons stated in the article, unless something changes, copyright law has, for all intents and purposes, been laid to rest, Author, Death of Copyright, Los Angeles Lawyer, 2010
Mr. Lowe's 2010 article entitled "Drafting Tips for Transactional Attorneys" contains multiple informative tips/advice for transactional attorneys from the standpoint of a litigation attorney, Author, Drafting Tips for Transactional Attorneys, Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journals, 2010
Mr. Lowe's 2006 article entitled, "Royal Treatment" identifies multiple sources of income for artists and writers in the music industry, and explores the various claims that may be asserted to collect these monies, Co-Author, Royal Treatment, Los Angeles Lawyer, 2006
Mr. Lowe's 2004 article entitled "Where Credit Is Due" explores the current state of the law with respect to the entitlement of creators to credit in the entertainment industry, Co-Author, Where Credit Is Due, Los Angeles Lawyer, 2004
Mr. Lowe's 2003 article entitled "Pre-emptive Strike" has been cited in judges' opinions primarily on the issue of whether an implied contract claim is pre-empted by the federal copyright act. The article concludes that it is not pre-empted which was subsequently affirmed by the Ninth Circuit in the 2011 case of Montz v. Pilgrim Films & Television Inc., Author, Pre-emptive Strike, Los Angeles Lawyer, 2003
Mr. Lowe wrote an article entitled “Death of Copyright, the Sequel”, which was published in The Computer & Internet Lawyer (Aspen Publishing) in 2012. The article exposes the somewhat glaring inconsistencies within the law and also chronicles and analyzes developments in the area of copyright and idea theft law since his first article “Death of Copyright” was published in November 2010 in the Los Angeles Lawyer magazine. This article is required reading for entertainment and copyright students at UCLA Law School, Author, Death of Copyright, the Sequel, The Computer & Internet Lawyer, 2012
Article in the Los Angeles Daily Journal regarding the recent "Raging Bull" Supreme Court ruling. Mr. Lowe (on behalf of California Society of Entertainment Lawyers) filed an amicus brief supporting Plaintiff Paula Petrella's claims against MGM., Author, Los Angeles Daily Journal, Entertainment Law, 2014

Other Outstanding Achievements:

Mr. Lowe was extensively interviewed for a 2011 article in Law360 regarding copyright infringement cases, 2011

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