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Litigators' Perspectives on Prince

By Brian Baxter

The legendary and now deceased Prince ' singer, songwriter, producer and man of myriad other talents ' kept a bevy of high-profile lawyers busy during the past three decades. Prince developed a somewhat complicated relationship with the Internet, and fought to protect his brand and music against unauthorized use. See, “Prince Had a Complicated Relationship with the Internet,” Washington Post (April 21, 2016). And for that he needed lawyers, lots of them.

Michael Elkin, chair of Winston & Strawn's copyright, entertainment and digital media practice, said he handled some of the first suits filed in the mid-1990s against websites on behalf of Prince, a fierce copyright defender whose music generally is hard to find on streaming services or YouTube. Elkin would travel around the world representing the rock star in more than 20 cases between 1995 and 2004, an era when the increased prevalence of online music began encroaching on the earnings potential of many artists.

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