Daniel M. Mayeda litigates media, publishing and entertainment matters and handles insurance coverage disputes involving those industries. His practice encompasses libel, privacy, copyright, trademark, right of publicity, breach of contract, breach of confidence, license disputes, unfair competition, Lanham Act violations, and advertising injury in state and federal trial and appellate courts throughout the United States.
Aside from his experience directly defending motion picture and television studios, distributors, production companies, writers, directors, television networks, publishers, record companies and advertisers, Dan also has represented a number of insurance companies that cater to entertainment and media industry entities and productions.
Experience
Representative Matters
- Obtained summary judgment for Frankie Valli and the other creators of the Broadway musical Jersey Boys: The Story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons in a lawsuit alleging copyright infringement and an accounting based on a theory that defendants became co-copyright owners of a biographical manuscript about a former Four Seasons member. Corbello v. DeVito, et al., 832 F.Supp.2d 1231 (D.Nev. 2011); 844 F.Supp.2d 1136 (D.Nev. 2012). After the Ninth Circuit reversed summary judgment for defendants and remanded for trial, obtained dismissal as a matter of law for defendants Frankie Valli and Robert Gaudio during the trial. Following an adverse jury verdict for plaintiff on copyright infringement, filed post-trial motions for Judgment as a matter of law and for new trial. The Court granted judgment to all remaining defendants on the ground that the very limited amount of protected material that was potentially copied from plaintiff's work into the play was a "fair use" as a matter of law. Corbello v. DeVito, 262 F. Supp. 3d 1056 (D. Nev. 2017). On plaintiff’s appeal, a unanimous Ninth Circuit panel affirmed Judgment for defendants, finding that the play copied only facts and other unprotected material from the biography. Corbello v. Valli, 974 F.3d 965 (9th Cir. 2020).
- Successfully argued before the California Court of Appeal to affirm summary judgment of a claim brought by plaintiff writer against defendant writer for breach of implied-in-fact contract for the sale of ideas and breach of confidence relating to the Paramount motion picture Year of the Dog. Kightlinger v. White, 2009 WL 4022193 (Cal. Ct. App. Nov. 23, 2009)
- Successfully argued before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to affirm grant of summary judgment against plaintiff’s claim that release of a Universal Studios motion picture infringed plaintiff's internet website domain name and the title of the plaintiff's proposed motion picture. Guichard v. Universal City Studios, 363 F. App'x 434 (9th Cir. 2009).
Professional Highlights
Pro Bono Experience
Dan serves as Co-Chair of the first-ever Los Angeles County Citizens Redistricting Commission, which conducted public hearings and used 2020 U.S. Census data to redraw the lines of the County Supervisorial Districts. Dan has presented extensively on topics ranging from intellectual property, the need for filmmakers to establish business structures and contractual relationships, diversity in the media and Asian American community issues. For nearly three decades, he has served in various volunteer capacities (including Board member, past president and pro bono legal counsel of East West Players, the nation's premier Asian Pacific American Theatre organization. Since 2000, Dan has helped lead a national multi-ethnic coalition of civil rights and media activism groups to advocate for greater diversity, equity, and inclusion in Hollywood and in the media. He is an Advisor to the Asian American Media Alliance and formerly served on the national Diversity Advisory Council for Comcast Corporation.
Recognition & Accomplishments
Awarded the 2020 Visionary Award by East West Players for outstanding contributions that raised the visibility of the Asian Pacific American community through his advocacy.
Publications
”Still Time to Save Former Keiro Facility,” Rafu Shimpo, January 26, 2021
“Asian Americans and the Media,” AAPI Nexus: Special Issue on AAPIs 2040, Fall 2016
"The Whitewashing of Network Television Must End," Cross Currents (Newsmagazine of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center), Volume 22, No. 2, Fall/Winter 1999
Credentials
Education
University of California, Los Angeles (J.D. 1982)
Chief Articles Editor, Federal Communications Law Journal
University of California, Los Angeles (B.A., magna cum laude, 1979)
Admissions
California
District of Columbia