Lawrence Iser

Lawrence Iser is well-known for his handling of high-stakes litigation and disputes at the intersection of entertainment and intellectual property on behalf of well-known artists and companies. For instance, he has represented Mattel for more than a quarter of a century — “which is quite a long while for a Fortune 500 company,” he said.

He is set to go to trial in two months defending Mattel from someone who claims he gave the company the idea for its ABC television show “The Toy Box.” The show — described as “Shark Tank” for toys with kids as judges — flopped. But the plaintiff is claiming $60 million in damages. Iser last month argued to exclude testimony from the plaintiff’s damages experts’ testimony. “We’re saying to the judge, ‘Now, let’s get real.’” Herrick Productions v Mattel Inc. 19SMCV01209, (L.A. Super. Ct., filed July 3, 2019).

Iser handled a higher profile case last year when he represented the songwriters who sued Lizzo for credit as co-authors of her hit song “Truth Hurts.” The parties settled in March just prior to trial. “It was fun because it was Lizzo,” he said. Jefferson v. Raisen, 2:19-cv-9107 (C.D. Cal. Oct. 23, 2019).

Weitzman Iser’s practice is “very heavy into entertainment and IP,” according to Iser, who is a founder and the managing partner of the firm. Iser said that currently, he is handling a number of matters in the music industry.

He filed a “typical music IP” case in Ohio alleging car seat maker Evenflo infringed copyrights in the song “Best Friend” by the music duo Sofi Tukker by using a “sound-alike” version of it in ads and social media. Third Side Music Inc. v. Evenflo Company Inc., 3:22-cv-00315 (S.D. Oh., filed Nov. 7, 2022).

Some less typical matters he handled in the past included helping present SeaWorld’s defense to the film “Black Fish,” which he called “a hit piece disguised as a documentary.”

He made news in 2008 when he sued John McCain’s presidential campaign for using Jackson Browne’s hit “Running on Empty” without a license in ads targeting Barack Obama’s environmental policies.

“It was significant because no artist had ever sued a political candidate for using their music,” he said. “We asked them to take it down, we asked nicely, they said no, so we sued them.”

Iser has had to file similar lawsuits against a few other political campaigns since then. “It always bothered me that political candidates, who are going to put their hand on the constitution, … just decide they don’t have to follow the law,” he said.

These days, the simpler way to deal with such politicians on behalf of musical artists is to complain on social media. “That is an efficient way to assure your fans that you aren’t supporting a particular candidate.”

— Don DeBenedictis