Robert Barnes is a partner in the Litigation Department of Kaye Scholer LLP's California office.
Mr. Barnes's practice concentrates on trademark, copyright, false advertising, and other civil litigation. While he has represented, and continues to represent, many clients engaged in all kinds of commercial disputes and litigation, Mr. Barnes focuses particularly on disputes and litigation arising from the entertainment and pharmaceutical industries, and disputes involving electronic commerce. He represents major pharmaceutical companies, studios and production companies, and e-commerce companies.
Mr. Barnes has litigated numerous disputes over copyright and trademark infringement, false advertising, and unfair competition. For example, he represented MGM and Danjaq, the owners of the James Bond copyright, in the landmark case of MGM v. American Honda, establishing that the James Bond film character was itself a copyrighted property that could not be mimicked without a license from the owners of the copyright. Mr. Barnes also successfully represented ABC and Granada Television against CBS' claim to broad copyright protection in "Survivor," a case which set the standard for producers' rights in reality television programming. He has represented Kelley Blue Book Company in a series of suits to establish Kelley's ownership of the "Blue Book" trademark on the Internet and more generally. He has represented Initial Entertainment Group in several suits involving credit, profits accounting, and production fee disputes.
Mr. Barnes has litigated trademark disputes over Internet domain names, and obtained injunctions against "cybersquatters." He has written widely on legal remedies in domain name disputes.