Widely recognized among the nation’s leading entertainment and content lawyers, Alison Stein is a trusted counsel for technology, entertainment, and media companies facing high-stakes litigation and complex content issues. Clients rely on Alison’s proven counsel, strategic know-how and litigation experience to address issues ranging from copyright infringement, content moderation and protection, AI and immersive technologies, and trademark, to DMCA, trade secrets, compliance, defamation, and contractual and licensing disputes.
A Co-Chair of the firm’s nationally recognized Content, Media, and Entertainment and Technology practices, Alison represents a who’s who of media organizations, technology companies, video game companies, television and movie studios, fashion and beauty companies, authors and artists. Her cases often set groundbreaking entertainment precedents, with outcomes covered in national media outlets. As Co-Chair of the firm’s AI Task Force, Alison is deeply engaged in the legal and strategic aspects of artificial intelligence. She has represented clients in cutting-edge AI-related litigation and has negotiated and advised on dozens of AI licensing and technology deals. She counsels clients on employee and corporate use of AI, and AI governance. Alison also regularly provides strategic guidance on the legal implications of other and immersive technologies including wearables, and on digital platform governance.
Alison is in high demand to help companies vet individuals for high-profile appointments in the content, tech, media, and political space by assessing content and freedom of expression issues and potential conflicts of interest.
Alison is frequently named among the top lawyers in her field by Chambers USA, recognized for her work in Media & Entertainment Litigation and Intellectual Property: Trademark, Copyright & Trade Secrets in New York. Under her leadership of the AI Task Force, the firm’s AI work was recognized in Chambers USA 2025’s inaugural ranking of nationwide Artificial Intelligence.
Clients praise her as "brilliant, thoughtful, responsive and business-savvy." One client shared, “Alison is truly a strategic advisor who is always looking around corners for us and prioritizing what’s best for our business.”
She has also been recognized by Crain’s, The Hollywood Reporter, and Variety. Most recently, Alison was named to Forbes’ Best-In-State Lawyers list and was recognized as a New York Power Lawyer by The Hollywood Reporter for the third consecutive year.
Alison plays a role in the broader legal and media community. She is co-chair of the Media Law Resource Center’s Internet & Technology Law Committee, sits on the Board of Directors for Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, and is a member of the firm’s Management Committee.
Alison serves as Co-Chair of Jenner & Block’s Pro Bono Program and maintains an active pro bono practice, including work on reproductive rights, civil rights, and matters for artists and arts organizations. She has filed an amicus brief with the US Supreme Court and litigated a matter including a trial for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin—earning the 2020 Albert E. Jenner Pro Bono Award. She also represented an inmate in a civil rights case through trial. Alison also represented Sarah Collins Rudolph, a survivor of the 1963 16th Street Church bombing, whose case has drawn national media attention, including coverage in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and on CNN, and prompted a public apology from Alabama’s governor.
I am dedicated to helping my clients define and shape the future of the evolving media, content, and technology landscape, and I love helping to position them one step ahead with respect to emerging technologies.
Representative Matters
- Representing Nintendo of America in multiple high-stakes product liability litigations, where plaintiffs allege that video games are addictive to minors and that industry participants conspired to both make games addictive and conceal their impact. Alison and team have won multiple motions to compel arbitration and motions to dismiss in various cases.
- Representing Live Nation and Ticketmaster in a series of class action lawsuits in federal and state courts alleging “drip pricing” and violations of various state pricing laws.
- Representing News Corp and Dow Jones in a first-of-its-kind copyright and trademark infringement lawsuit against Perplexity AI, alleging Perplexity scraped and repackaged proprietary news content without authorization for use in its retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) system.
- Representing IMG Models in a tortious interference claim in NY state court against a competitor model agency, The Society. The complaint alleges that The Society tortiously interfered with IMG’s exclusive contract with one of its top models by inducing her to breach the contract during her exclusivity period with IMG.
- Advising multiple major news organizations on their AI disputes and AI licensing deals.
- Counseling nearly a dozen media and entertainment and other clients on AI licensing and enforcement efforts.
- Representing Nintendo of America in multiple Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and copyright infringement litigation matters.
- Advising Meta on legal and strategic matters related to the Oversight Board.
- Advising Meta on global strategy and various legal issues with respect to its wearables products and in particular its Meta Ray-Ban AI glasses and forthcoming glasses
- Representing Lincoln Center on various copyright and other cutting-edge intellectual property issues.
- Serving as anti-piracy counsel for TKO (comprised of UFC and WWE), helping these preeminent content creators protect their content worldwide, through a series of enforcement tools and legislative strategy.
- MGFB v. ViacomCBS: Achieved a complete victory for ViacomCBS in a $100 million trademark dispute over the title of the MTV reality show, “MTV Floribama Shore.”’ After multiple years of litigation, the judge granted summary judgment to ViacomCBS, dismissing the case in full, ruling that ViacomCBS’s First Amendment right to title its expressive work “MTV Floribama Shore” outweighed the plaintiffs’ rights under the Lanham Act.
- Kaffaga v. Steinbeck et al: Secured a $13.15 million jury verdict for the Estate of Elaine Steinbeck in a trial over the rights to John Steinbeck’s works. The win—upheld by the Ninth Circuit and left intact by the US Supreme Court—helped clarify ownership rights and opened the door for stalled film and TV projects. The case received widespread media coverage, including New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and Law360, which named the firm a “Legal Lion” for the win.
Credentials
Service / Recognition
Overview
Widely recognized among the nation’s leading entertainment and content lawyers, Alison Stein is a trusted counsel for technology, entertainment, and media companies facing high-stakes litigation and complex content issues. Clients rely on Alison’s proven counsel, strategic know-how and litigation experience to address issues ranging from copyright infringement, content moderation and protection, AI and immersive technologies, and trademark, to DMCA, trade secrets, compliance, defamation, and contractual and licensing disputes.
A Co-Chair of the firm’s nationally recognized Content, Media, and Entertainment and Technology practices, Alison represents a who’s who of media organizations, technology companies, video game companies, television and movie studios, fashion and beauty companies, authors and artists. Her cases often set groundbreaking entertainment precedents, with outcomes covered in national media outlets. As Co-Chair of the firm’s AI Task Force, Alison is deeply engaged in the legal and strategic aspects of artificial intelligence. She has represented clients in cutting-edge AI-related litigation and has negotiated and advised on dozens of AI licensing and technology deals. She counsels clients on employee and corporate use of AI, and AI governance. Alison also regularly provides strategic guidance on the legal implications of other and immersive technologies including wearables, and on digital platform governance.
Alison is in high demand to help companies vet individuals for high-profile appointments in the content, tech, media, and political space by assessing content and freedom of expression issues and potential conflicts of interest.
Alison is frequently named among the top lawyers in her field by Chambers USA, recognized for her work in Media & Entertainment Litigation and Intellectual Property: Trademark, Copyright & Trade Secrets in New York. Under her leadership of the AI Task Force, the firm’s AI work was recognized in Chambers USA 2025’s inaugural ranking of nationwide Artificial Intelligence.
Clients praise her as "brilliant, thoughtful, responsive and business-savvy." One client shared, “Alison is truly a strategic advisor who is always looking around corners for us and prioritizing what’s best for our business.”
She has also been recognized by Crain’s, The Hollywood Reporter, and Variety. Most recently, Alison was named to Forbes’ Best-In-State Lawyers list and was recognized as a New York Power Lawyer by The Hollywood Reporter for the third consecutive year.
Alison plays a role in the broader legal and media community. She is co-chair of the Media Law Resource Center’s Internet & Technology Law Committee, sits on the Board of Directors for Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, and is a member of the firm’s Management Committee.
Alison serves as Co-Chair of Jenner & Block’s Pro Bono Program and maintains an active pro bono practice, including work on reproductive rights, civil rights, and matters for artists and arts organizations. She has filed an amicus brief with the US Supreme Court and litigated a matter including a trial for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin—earning the 2020 Albert E. Jenner Pro Bono Award. She also represented an inmate in a civil rights case through trial. Alison also represented Sarah Collins Rudolph, a survivor of the 1963 16th Street Church bombing, whose case has drawn national media attention, including coverage in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and on CNN, and prompted a public apology from Alabama’s governor.
I am dedicated to helping my clients define and shape the future of the evolving media, content, and technology landscape, and I love helping to position them one step ahead with respect to emerging technologies.
Areas of Focus
Representative Matters
- Representing Nintendo of America in multiple high-stakes product liability litigations, where plaintiffs allege that video games are addictive to minors and that industry participants conspired to both make games addictive and conceal their impact. Alison and team have won multiple motions to compel arbitration and motions to dismiss in various cases.
- Representing Live Nation and Ticketmaster in a series of class action lawsuits in federal and state courts alleging “drip pricing” and violations of various state pricing laws.
- Representing News Corp and Dow Jones in a first-of-its-kind copyright and trademark infringement lawsuit against Perplexity AI, alleging Perplexity scraped and repackaged proprietary news content without authorization for use in its retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) system.
- Representing IMG Models in a tortious interference claim in NY state court against a competitor model agency, The Society. The complaint alleges that The Society tortiously interfered with IMG’s exclusive contract with one of its top models by inducing her to breach the contract during her exclusivity period with IMG.
- Advising multiple major news organizations on their AI disputes and AI licensing deals.
- Counseling nearly a dozen media and entertainment and other clients on AI licensing and enforcement efforts.
- Representing Nintendo of America in multiple Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and copyright infringement litigation matters.
- Advising Meta on legal and strategic matters related to the Oversight Board.
- Advising Meta on global strategy and various legal issues with respect to its wearables products and in particular its Meta Ray-Ban AI glasses and forthcoming glasses
- Representing Lincoln Center on various copyright and other cutting-edge intellectual property issues.
- Serving as anti-piracy counsel for TKO (comprised of UFC and WWE), helping these preeminent content creators protect their content worldwide, through a series of enforcement tools and legislative strategy.
- MGFB v. ViacomCBS: Achieved a complete victory for ViacomCBS in a $100 million trademark dispute over the title of the MTV reality show, “MTV Floribama Shore.”’ After multiple years of litigation, the judge granted summary judgment to ViacomCBS, dismissing the case in full, ruling that ViacomCBS’s First Amendment right to title its expressive work “MTV Floribama Shore” outweighed the plaintiffs’ rights under the Lanham Act.
- Kaffaga v. Steinbeck et al: Secured a $13.15 million jury verdict for the Estate of Elaine Steinbeck in a trial over the rights to John Steinbeck’s works. The win—upheld by the Ninth Circuit and left intact by the US Supreme Court—helped clarify ownership rights and opened the door for stalled film and TV projects. The case received widespread media coverage, including New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and Law360, which named the firm a “Legal Lion” for the win.
Credentials
Admissions
- New York
Education
- University of Pennsylvania Law School, JD, magna cum laude; Order of the Coif; The Henry C. Loughlin Prize (for best writing in legal ethics); Arthur Littleton and H. Clayton Louderback Legal Writing Instructor; Public Interest Scholarship Award; Pro Bono Service Recognition Award
- University of Pennsylvania, BA, summa cum laude; Dean’s List; Associate Concert Mistress, University of Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra
Court Admissions
- US Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
- US Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
- US District Court, Southern District of New York
Clerkships
- Hon. Kimba M. Wood, US District Court, Southern District of New York
- Hon. Kent A. Jordan, US Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
- Hon. Louis H. Pollak, US District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Service / Recognition
Awards
-
Forbes’ Best-In-State lawyers, 2025
- Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Entertainment, Sports, & Media Lawyers, 2025-2026
- Crain's New York Business, Notable Leaders in Accounting, Consulting & Law, 2024
- Variety, Legal Impact Report, 2024
- The Hollywood Reporter, Power Lawyers: New York's Top 25 Entertainment Attorneys, 2023-2025; Power Lawyers 2022: Hollywood's Top 100 Attorneys
- Business Today, Powerhouse Litigation Lawyer, Media & Entertainment, 2023
- Crain’s New York Business, Notable Diverse Leaders in Law, 2022
- Crain’s New York Business, Notable Women in Law, 2022
- Chambers USA, Media & Entertainment: Litigation (New York), 2022-2026; Intellectual Property: Trademark, Copyright & Trade Secrets (New York), 2015-2026; Intellectual Property: Trademark, Copyright & Trade Secrets: Transactional (New York), 2026
- Crain’s New York Business, Notable Women in Law, 2021
- Best Lawyers in America, Litigation: Intellectual Property, 2021
- Legal 500 US, Next Generation Partner-Copyright, 2020-2021, Next Generation Partner-Media and Entertainment: Litigation, 2021
- New York Law Journal, Rising Star, 2018
- Law360, Rising Star, Media & Entertainment, 2017
- Law360, Legal Lion-September, 2017
- New York Metro Super Lawyers, Rising Star, Intellectual Property Litigation, 2015-2020
Community
- Media Law Resource Center’s Internet & Technology Law Committee, Co-Chair
- Copyright Society of the USA, Member
- Copyright Alliance, Copyright Alliance Legal Advisory Board, Member
- The Irving Fine Society, Board of Directors, Member
- Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, Board of Directors, Member