Robert Sugarman

Senior Counsel

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP

Current

Current

DVD Copy Control Association v. BunnerAs lead counsel representing the licensor of the technology used to encrypt copyrighted motion pictures on DVD, Mr. Sugarman successfully argued DVD/CCA's motion for a preliminary injunction to enjoin posting of the trade secret on the Web in the Superior Court and the appeal in the Supreme Court of California which led to the affirmance of the grant of the preliminary injunction. The decision of the California Supreme Court was a landmark decision, holding that the grant of an injunction barring the posting of trade secrets was not a violation of the First Amendment rights of those posting.

Current

Mitsubishi International Corporation v. Tishman Speyer PropertiesMr. Sugarman successfully represented the tenant in a rent reset arbitration.

Current

Brown & Williamson v. CBSMr. Sugarman was lead counsel for CBS, Don Hewitt, Mike Wallace and Morley Safer in their successful motion to quash a subpoena duces tecum and deposition notices which sought discovery of all the files of CBS in connection with a 60 Minutes segment concerning the activities of Brown & Williamson.

Current

Merriam Webster v. Random HouseMr. Sugarman was retained by Random House after a jury had returned a $4 million verdict based on a finding that Random House had infringed the trade dress of the Merriam-Webster dictionary. He filed and argued post trial motions which resulted in the reduction of the verdict to $2 million and then filed and argued an appeal in the Second Circuit as a result of which the remaining $2 million was set aside.

Current

Intersong v. IglesiasMr. Sugarman successfully represented Julio Iglesias and CBS Records in the trial of a copyright infringement case before Judge John Keenan in the Southern District of New York.

Current

Friedman v. BraniganMr. Sugarman successfully represented CBS Music Publishing, Atlantic Records, Laura Branigan, Michael Bolton and Doug James in the jury trial of a copyright infringement case in the Southern District of New York.

Current

Bowers v. Sony PicturesMr. Sugarman represented Sony Pictures, the distributor, Jonathan Demme, the director and Ron Nyswaner, the writer of the motion picture Philadelphia in a case brought in the Southern District of New York by the family of a man who claimed that the motion picture used the man's story without authorization. The case was settled during the jury trial.

Current

Raine v. CBSMr. Sugarman was lead counsel representing CBS in a trial before Judge Alan Schwartz in the Southern District of New York in which the trustee of the Musicians' Trust Funds sued for royalties he claimed were owed. After trial, Judge Schwartz rejected virtually all of the claims of the Trustee. Mr. Sugarman argued the appeal in the Second Circuit which resulted in the affirmance of the decision of the District Judge.

Current

Abercrombie & Fitch v. American Eagle OutfittersMr. Sugarman represented American Eagle in a suit brought by Abercrombie in the Central District of Ohio in which Abercrombie alleged that American Eagle was infringing its trade dress. The case was resolved on a motion to dismiss, before any discovery and the grant of the motion was affirmed by the Sixth Circuit.

Yale University

J.D.

1963

Yale University

B.A.

1960

Publication