Rob Klieger is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Irell & Manella LLP.  His practice encompasses a wide range of commercial litigation matters, with particular concentration in intellectual property and entertainment matters.

Mr. Klieger has represented a number of the nation's leading motion picture studios and television networks in a variety of federal and state court actions and arbitration matters, including copyright and idea submission disputes, licensing and other contract disputes, trademark disputes, and executive compensation matters.  Mr. Klieger has also represented clients in a number of other industries, including aviation, energy, and apparel, in a variety of litigation matters.  In addition to his litigation matters, Mr. Klieger also provides extensive pre-litigation counseling and advice, especially to his motion picture and television clients. 

Mr. Klieger is the author of a leading article on trademark dilution, entitled "Trademark Dilution: The Whittling Away of the Rational Basis for Trademark Protection," cited by the United States Supreme Court in Moseley v. V Secret Catalogue, Inc.  Mr. Klieger has spoken on emerging issues in entertainment law and also on trademark dilution law to various law and business groups.  He has also been a guest lecturer at UCLA Law School, USC Law School, and Loyola Law School.

Mr. Klieger was named by Los Angeles Magazine to the Southern California "Super Lawyers" list in 2008 for the fourth consecutive year.

Before joining Irell & Manella, Mr. Klieger served as a law clerk to the Honorable Cynthia Holcomb Hall, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the Honorable Wm. Matthew Byrne, Jr., United States District Court for the Central District of California.

Representative Matters

A selected listing of noteworthy publicly-reported matters follows:

Wingnut Films, Ltd. v. New Line Cinema Corp., et al., Central District of California.  Representation of Peter Jackson's New Zealand production company in a profit participation dispute related to The Lord of the Rings.  Successfully defeated summary judgment motion, and case thereafter settled.

Skechers U.S.A., Inc. v. Vans, Inc., Central District of California.  Representation of footwear manufacturer in dispute involving alleged copyright and trademark infringement.  Successfully defeated preliminary injunction application, and case thereafter settled.

Western Sky Industries, LLC v. Eclipse Aviation Corp., AAA Arbitration and District of Arizona.  Representation of aircraft manufacturer in multi-million dollar dispute arising out of exclusive purchase agreement.  Successfully defeated claims alleging improper termination of agreement, misrepresentation, promissory fraud, and theft of intellectual property.

Friedman v. Improv West Associates, et al., Central District of California.  Representation of founder and franchisor of IMPROV comedy clubs in dispute over rights in the "IMPROV" mark.  Successfully obtained summary judgment for client.

Roaring Entertainment, LLC v. American Broadcasting Companies, Inc., et al., Central District of California.  Representation of television network in copyright, trademark, and idea submission dispute related to American Inventor.  Case settled while ruling on client's summary judgment motion was pending.

ENSCO International Inc. v. GustoMSC Inc., et al., Southern District of Texas.  Representation of maritime engineering company in copyright and contract dispute involving design for semi-submersible oil rigs.  Successfully defeated preliminary injunction application, and case settled thereafter.

Haaland v. Eclipse Aviation Corp., District of Colorado.  Representation of aircraft manufacturer in patent licensing and trade secret dispute involving fire suppression technology.  Obtained favorable settlement for client.

Martin Ransohoff Productions, Inc. v. Paramount Pictures Corporation, Los Angeles Superior Court.  Representation of Paramount in breach of contract dispute involving alleged oral contract for production of motion picture.  Successfully obtained summary judgment for client.

Fox/UTV Holdings, Inc., et al. v. Paramount Pictures Corporation, et al., Los Angeles Superior Court.  Representation of Paramount and UPN in $100 million dispute with UPN's largest affiliate group.  Case settled before trial.

News Limited v. Australis Holdings Pty, Ltd., et al., New York Supreme Court.  Representation of Paramount, Sony, and Universal in multi-billion dollar dispute concerning licensing and distribution of pay television services in Australia.  Case settled before trial.

USA Cable v. World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc., et al., Delaware Court of Chancery and Delaware Supreme Court.  Member of the trial and appellate team that successfully represented Viacom and CBS in action concerning alleged breach of matching rights provision in license agreement.

FSBI Business Services, Inc. v. eToys Inc., AAA Arbitration and District of Minnesota.  Representation of eToys in multi-million dollar breach of contract dispute concerning fulfillment services agreement.  Successfully obtained award in eToys' favor.

Gay-Straight Alliance Club of El Modena High School, et al. v. Orange Unified Sch. Dist., et al., Central District of California.  Member of the pro bono team that successfully enjoined the Orange Unified School District from denying equal treatment to gay-straight student alliance at El Modena High School.

Bar & Court Admissions

• 1997, California
• U.S. District Court, Central and Southern Districts of California, District of Colorado
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit