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Sports, Media & Entertainment

The sports, media, and entertainment industries are not all fun and games. Whether you are facing or pursuing litigation, trust IMS to secure the unique expertise your case requires and help strengthen your strategy from early motions through final appeals.

Control the narrative and win beyond the court of public opinion.

In widely publicized disputes, jurors may arrive with bias about leagues, talent, and media brands. Our team understands how pre-existing views of the industry and its players can influence how decision-makers evaluate evidence in cases such as:

  • Commercial and contract disputes
  • Tortious interference and unfair competition
  • Premises liability
  • Intellectual property infringement (patent, copyright, and trademark)
  • Royalty and licensing disputes
  • Name, image, and likeness (NIL) and publicity rights claims
  • Defamation and privacy claims
  • Labor and employment
  • False advertising and consumer protection claims

Litigation teams nationwide rely on us to test how those preconceptions could shape outcomes, then build a presentation strategy that keeps the focus on the evidence. We have assisted law firms and corporate clients across the spectrum, including sports leagues and teams, athletes and agents, hotels and event venues, streaming platforms, broadcasters, production studios, record labels, and talent and management firms. Learn more about our services below.

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From Early Case Assessment Through Trial and Appeal: Integrated Sports, Media & Entertainment Services

Sports, media, and entertainment litigation often involves overlapping issues of publicity, intellectual property, licensing, damages, consumer perception, and industry-specific business practices. IMS offers seamless access to specialized experts, consultants, researchers, and presentation strategists to support these matters at every stage of litigation. Whether the challenge involves juror bias, royalty valuation, consumer confusion, licensing practices, or damages analysis, our multidisciplinary teams help attorneys develop and present compelling, credible case narratives.

Featured Case Study: Moonbug Entertainment Limited, et al. v. Babybus (Fujian) Network Technology Co., Ltd.

In this media and entertainment dispute involving children's content, IMS's trial graphics team helped translate complex comparisons between creative works into persuasive visual evidence for the courtroom, supporting the case through summary judgment and a full jury trial, resulting in a total win for the client.

Read the Case Study

Featured Case Study: Regulations Rule the Rink: Finding a Figure Skating Expert

A former Olympic figure skater's release to a new team was blocked by their current team, which impacted the athlete's ability to train ahead of the next Olympics. IMS delivered eight vetted expert witness candidates within an expedited five-day window, and the client selected the founder of an international sports governance consultancy whose 15+ years at the International Skating Union's Lausanne headquarters gave him direct experience with ISU release exceptions. The case was dismissed without prejudice.

Read the Case Study

Sports, Media & Entertainment Capabilities

When you have to go to trial, you want team partners who are smart, cool under pressure, and a cut above the competition in delivery. IMS is strong in all phases of the game, and you will not go wrong with them.

Founder, Litigation & Trial Boutique

IMS did a really good job on the expert search. They moved me 70 to 80 yards closer to the goal line.

Associate, Am Law 100 Firm

FAQs

Sports, media, and entertainment litigation support helps parties in disputes where value is frequently tied to intangible assets like image, brand, and audience attention rather than physical goods. IMS can quickly locate testifying experts who have decades of experience across the sports, media, and entertainment industry. These experts may be retained where calculating damages can mean placing a dollar figure on an athlete's endorsement power, a media property's audience reach, or the remaining value of a broadcast or licensing window that may close before the case is resolved.

A sports, media, or entertainment dispute can touch every IMS service line at once, from the economic analysis behind a royalty or endorsement claim to the expert testimony needed to explain broadcast rights, talent agreements, or athlete injuries to a judge, jury, or arbitrator. Expert Advisory & Analysis quantifies damages and evaluates relevant marketing, sponsorship, or licensing claims at issue, while Expert Witness Search identifies and vets subject-matter experts across media licensing, broadcast technology, sports management, and talent representation. Litigation Consulting builds a case narrative and trial graphics creates demonstratives needed to make complex rights and revenue structures clear to an adjudicator. Medical Legal Experts support the injury-related component of disputes involving athletes or performers.

Contract and royalty disputes, tortious interference, copyright and trademark infringement, media and content licensing disputes, name, image, and likeness (NIL) claims, sports antitrust and collective bargaining disputes, defamation, premises and event liability, talent and endorsement disputes, and false advertising involving teams, leagues, athletes, studios, broadcasters, and streaming platforms.

Clients trust IMS with their highest-exposure matters because our experienced consultants offer specific sports, media, and entertainment-related insights into how their arguments will be viewed in court. Disputes tend to play out in the public eye, with contracts, compensation structures, and personal reputations scrutinized, adding pressure on teams. Specialized jury consultants help attorneys understand how preconceptions can shape decisions, then build a data-driven trial strategy and voir dire approach that mitigates juror bias and reduces risks. Presenting case evidence clearly requires understand custom trial graphics and technical expertise to ensure the presentation runs smoothly and decision-makers understand what is at stake.

Yes. IMS regularly supports high-profile sports, media, and entertainment litigation, including statistical jury profiling and voir dire strategy designed specifically for cases with significant pretrial publicity or media exposure.

Blue textured angles.

We bring a unique perspective based on decades of practical experience in 70,000+ cases spanning all industries.

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