Robert A. Jacobs

Profile

Robert Jacobs is a litigation partner in the Firm’s Los Angeles office and the leader of the Firm’s entertainment litigation practice. Chambers USA has recognized him as one of the country’s preeminent entertainment litigators, emphasizing that his “litigation work is of the highest level” and that “he is informed on legal issues” and “pragmatic, reliable and proactive.” Legal 500 also has recognized Robert as a Leading Lawyer for entertainment and media litigation and described him as a “superb team leader” whose group “always over-performs and never over-lawyers” and who is “results oriented and second to none.”

Robert focuses his practice on commercial, copyright and other intellectual property disputes in the entertainment, media and fine art industries. He has successfully represented top-level talent as well as major record labels and music publishers, movie studios, theatrical rights owners, managers, talent agencies, and brands in copyright, contract, Seven Year Rule, fraud, tortious interference, fiduciary duty, idea theft, trademark, right of publicity, unfair competition, labor agreement, and royalty actions in federal and state courts and arbitrations across the country.

He also regularly handles and provides strategic advice on nonpublic claims and disputes. His clients have included leading recording artists, songwriters and producers such as Kendrick Lamar, Bruce Springsteen, Diplo, Marshmello, Bastille, SZA, Usher, will.i.am, Tracy Chapman, Steve Mac, Fall Out Boy, Jermaine Dupri, Los Tigres Del Norte and Fleet Foxes; all of the major music companies; independent record labels Top Dawg Entertainment and 300 Entertainment; independent publishers BMG Rights Management, Downtown and Reservoir; and other prominent entities in the entertainment and fine arts industries, including Tams-Witmark, CBS Studios, Univision Communications, Lionsgate, Good Universe Films, Mandate Pictures and the Richard Avedon Foundation.

Robert previously was a law clerk to the Honorable Gregory W. Carman, U.S. Court of International Trade.

Honors & Awards

Billboard, Top Music Lawyer, 2019-2024

500 Leading Litigators in America, Lawdragon, 2022–2024

Chambers USA, Top-Ranked Attorney in Media & Entertainment, 2013–2024

The Best Lawyers In America, Entertainment Law, 2021–2024

Southern California Super Lawyers, 2006–2011; 2013–2016; 2023

Legal 500, Leading Lawyer in Media and Entertainment: Litigation, 2020–2024

Daily Journal, Top Intellectual Property Attorneys in California, 2017–2024

Variety, Legal Impact Report, 2021

AV-Rated by Martindale-Hubbell

Memberships

Admitted to practice in California and New York; the U.S. District Courts for the Central and Northern Districts of California and the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; the U.S. Courts of Appeal for the Second, Ninth and Federal Circuits; and the U.S. Court of International Trade

Member, Board of Governors (West Coast), T.J. Martell Foundation

Member, Executive Board, Donald Biederman Entertainment and Media Law Institute, Southwestern University School of Law

Member, Board of Governors, The Willows Community School

09.06.24

Eleven Manatt Attorneys Recognized in Lawdragon’s 2025 500 Leading ...

Eleven Manatt attorneys were named to Lawdragon’s 2025 list of the 500 Leading Litigators in America
06.12.24

Manatt Again Recognized as a Top Law Firm in Legal 500’s 2024 United ...

Manatt received top rankings in the Legal 500 United States 2024 guide recognizing leading attorneys and practices across the na...
06.05.24

Manatt Receives Top Rankings in 2024 Chambers USA Guide

Manatt has once again been ranked among the nation’s leading law firms in Chambers’ 2024 USA Guide across 18 categories with 42 individ...
05.22.24

Jacobs and Bach Recognized as 2024 Top Intellectual Property Lawyers ...

Manatt’s Robert Jacobs and Nathaniel Bach were recognized on Daily Journal’s 2024 Top Intellectual Property Lawyers list.

11.01.23

How Justices Could Rule On A Key Copyright Statute

Manatt Entertainment Litigation Leader Robert Jacobs, Litigation Partner Prana Topper and Entertainment Litigation Associate Andrea Del-Carmen ...

06.20.19

Spoiler Alert: Spoiling a TV Show May Lead to Legal Action

“With warmer weather comes an influx of summer competition television programs—‘The Bachelorette,’ ‘Big Brother,’ ...

04.26.16

Late Court Appearance of Zeppelin Members Is Irrelevant

The Daily Journal interviewed Robert Jacobs, co-chair of the firm's Entertainment and Media Litigation practice, for an article about a ...

05.13.24

Copyright Act Does Not Create A Separate Time-Based Damages Bar For ...

The Copyright Act provides that an action for copyright infringement must be commenced “within three years after the claim accrued.”
01.19.23

Entertainment Industry Predictions: Streamers, Litigation, Emerging ...

Below we predict what 2023 will bring, ranging from the continued explosion of the creator economy to advancement of novel technologies such as NFTs ...
06.01.17

Ninth Circuit: Website Moderators May Be Agents of ISPs

On April 7, 2017, the Ninth Circuit revived a copyright infringement case filed by a paparazzi group against social media platform LiveJournal that ...
06.06.16

Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016: An Overview

The Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 (DTSA) was signed into law on May 11, 2016 and gives trade secret owners a federal cause of action for ...

10.17.22

Narganes, Jacobs and Reece to Speak on NFT Marketplace at ACC ...

Manatt Venture Capital and Emerging Companies Partner Michel Narganes, Entertainment Litigation Leader Robert Jacobs and Digital and Technology ...

Robert A. Jacobs

Partner

Entertainment Litigation

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Contact

Services

Industries

Rankings

Ranked as a leading lawyer in Chambers USA, 2013-2023

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