Cydney Tune is Counsel at Pillsbury's San Francisco office, and leads the firm's Copyrights practice and Media & Entertainment industry teams. Her practice includes a wide variety of intellectual property issues, including copyrights and trademarks, as well as a broad array of entertainment, licensing and E-Commerce matters. She represents a variety of clients—large and small, domestic and foreign, and in many different industries.
Entertainment
Ms. Tune represents a variety of clients in connection with music, video, photography, multi-media and other entertainment projects. Her practice includes music matters, such as music licensing and digital music issues. In transactions, she handles an array of matters, including publishing agreements, video licenses, production agreements, speaker releases, permissions agreements, artwork purchase agreements, performer clearances and rights of publicity and privacy. Ms. Tune also has extensive experience enforcing rights in entertainment-related intellectual property, including photographs, graphic images, and music catalogues.
Ms. Tune's practice also includes the representation of virtual worlds service providers and social networking websites. Her experience in the technology and entertainment industry helps clients in these emerging markets. In response to the ever-changing laws within the music and entertainment industries,
Ms. Tune created and currently chairs the Technology and Entertainment Convergence seminar, "Technotainment", which draws over 500 people, in New York City and San Francisco, and connects hundreds of others virtually, via webcast, throughout the country and around the globe.
Copyrights
Ms. Tune’s practice includes the full range of copyright protection, including counseling, strategic planning, clearances, prosecution, and extensive policing and enforcement both in the United States and abroad. Ms. Tune also handles transactions involving copyright issues, including copyright license and transfer due diligence as well as assignments and licenses. She represents rights owners and accused infringers in copyright and related disputes. Ms. Tune also represents clients on issues arising out of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, including anti-circumvention issues, and additional copyright enforcement issues. These copyright matters influence many of Ms. Tune's clients, including virtual world service providers, social networking websites and music and new media companies.
Trademarks
As with copyrights, Ms. Tune’s trademark practice includes the full range of trademark protection, including counseling, strategic planning, clearances, domestic and foreign prosecution and policing. Her practice also includes litigation before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. She also advises on trademark aspects of business transactions, such as secured transactions, bankruptcy, asset purchases and initial public offerings.
Licensing
Ms. Tune represents clients in connection with licensing, including content licensing of all types. In addition to copyright and trademark licenses, her experience includes licenses for music, video, photography, film, television, multi-media, and merchandise. She also handles software and other technology licensing for diverse clients including companies in the fields of software, information technology equipment,
telecommunications, digital media and service providers. Ms. Tune also advises clients in connection with existing licenses, handles licensing due diligence, and assists clients with enforcement issues pertaining to licenses.
Notably, Ms. Tune is one of the most experienced lawyers in the United States in handling archival music-performance footage, including the unique domestic and international clearance, rights and distribution issues that accompany the usage of such footage. She also handles licenses of content for television, movies, movie trailers and documentaries. Ms. Tune has worked with documentary films in connection with intellectual property and enforcement rights as well as in licensing negotiations.
Publishing
Ms. Tune has extensive experience with publishing issues including their connection with books, magazines and other periodicals. She has handled publishing transactions as well as those involving claims of rights made against publishers. Her experience in this area also includes First Amendment law in connection with the convergence of copyright law and First Amendment law, generally arising out of fair use issues.
Internet/E-Commerce
Ms. Tune provides advice to Internet companies and other companies that conduct business online, including broadcasters, broadcast associations, webcasters, online music services other online content providers and gaming and virtual worlds companies, on a wide array of issues including development, cross-promotions, co-branding and transactions. She represents clients on issues arising out of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, including anti-circumvention issues. She also handles online publishing agreements, desktop publishing matters, digital music issues and licensing, content licenses and online advertising issues.
Litigation
Ms. Tune handles enforcement matters involving intellectual property of all types. She is involved in copyright and other related litigation, providing intellectual property knowledge. Ms. Tune also has extensive experience in complex litigation including cases involving unfair competition, unfair business practices, product liability, franchise terminations, breach of contract, antitrust, a wide variety of business torts, securities, class actions and multi-district litigation.
Pro Bono
Ms. Tune's pro bono work exemplifies her commitment to the arts and other worthy organizations, representing them in connection with a variety of intellectual property issues including, copyright and trademark issues; issues involving the use and protection of images and other materials on the Internet; rights enforcement issues; issues in connection with live benefit concerts, including artwork and musician contracts; publishing deals; music issues arising from benefit concerts and related CDs; and speaker, website and publication issues.