Douglas L Johnson - Beverly Hills, CA
Attorney at Johnson & Johnson, LLP
Entertainment Litigation Lawyers in Beverly Hills, CA
439 North Canon Drive Suite 200 Beverly Hills, CA 90210
- Free Consultation
- 1 Super Lawyers®
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26
Years
Experience
Beverly Hills Entertainment Litigation Lawyer
Updated: 03/02/2026
Areas of Practice
- Entertainment Litigation
- Complex Business Litigation
- Class Action Litigation
- Intellectual Property Litigation
- Defamation, Media, and First Amendment Law
- Rights of Privacy and Publicity
Attorney Information
Overview
Professional Experience
Mr. Johnson is well known for handling high-profile and high-impact entertainment matters. His clients include producers, actors, directors, production companies, music artists, and independent record labels. He is well-known for his successes in profit participation and royalty disputes, right of publicity cases, and theft of idea cases for film and television. Mr. Johnson has been repeatedly named by SuperLawyers as a top intellectual property litigator for more than a decade, representing the top 2.5% of the profession in Southern California. Mr. Johnson also serves as outside general counsel for WorldStarHipHop.com.
Since co-founding Johnson & Johnson, Mr. Johnson has been at the forefront of developing California’s right of publicity laws. He has litigated cases up to the California Supreme Court, advocating for precedent to protect the rights of all Californians from those who would seek to profit from their names, images, and likenesses without authorization. Mr. Johnson’s advocacy extends to his participation on speaking panels, publication of scholarly articles, and educating law students on the importance of these rights.
Representative Matters
- Handled profit participation disputes on behalf of Sylvester Stallone (Demolition Man), Glen Larson (Magnum PI, Knight Rider, Fall Guy, Battlestar Galactica), Ed Weinberger (Amen), Richard Dreyfuss (Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Goodbye Girl, What About Bob?) and Raymond Wagner (Turner and Hooch), Jack Klugman (Quincy, Odd Couple), Mike Connors (Mannix), the Estate of Charles Bronson (St. Ives, Telefon).
- Obtained multiple eight-figure settlements in class actions against major Hollywood studios for underpaying royalties on home video and new digital media, major record labels for underpayments on digital download royalties, and major entertainment guilds for unpaid foreign levies, Mr. Johnson is currently leading class actions against several major record labels for underpayment of digital streaming royalties.
- Defended blues icon B.B. King in a case seeking declaratory relief regarding the right to produce a film about his life, resulting in dismissal of the lawsuit.
- Obtained a seven-figure jury verdict on behalf of an artist and record company in a copyright infringement case.
- Litigated several high-profile libel disputes against large media companies, recently settling one in 2015 for mid-seven figures. Mr. Johnson represented Richard Simmons in a libel action against the Enquirer.
- Obtained a $10 million arbitration award on behalf of a business owner involved in partnership dispute.
- Obtained a seven-figure settlement in wrongful death and civil rights case, resulting in reorganization of staffing and training at a county jail. The matter was featured on the cover of the Sacramento News & Review and constituted the largest settlement in the nation at the time for such a case.
Thought Leadership
- Adjunct Professor, Entertainment and Media Litigation, Southwestern School of Law, 2012 to Present
- Panelist, “Backend Optics: Profit Participations Through Different Lenses,” Beverly Hills Bar Association, Entertainment Law Section, 2018
- Panelist, “I’m a Celebrity, You Can’t Do That, (Can You?), California Society of Entertainment Lawyers, 2018
- Panelist, “Entertainment Year in Review: Entertainment Litigation With Stars Of The Bar,” Beverly Hills Bar Association, Entertainment Law Section, 2017
- Panelist, “The Right of Publicity: The State of The Current Law,” Beverly Hills Bar Association, Entertainment Law Section, 2014
- The Ever-Evolving Courtroom Drama of Net Profits, Donald L. Stone’s Inn of St. Ives, 2012
- Panelist, Right of Publicity: How Much Is Your Client Really Worth?, Beverly Hills Bar Association, Entertainment Law Section, 2012
- Panelist, Current Issues in Right of Likeness, Defamation and Privacy, Beverly Hills Bar Association, Entertainment Law Section, 2011
- Panelist, Injuries Without Remedies, Loyola Law School’s Legal Symposium, 2010
Awards and Honors
Honors
- Super Lawyer, Intellectual Property Litigation, 2006 - 2013, 2016 - 2017
Other Sources of Feedback About Douglas L. Johnson
Included on the 2026 Southern California Super Lawyers list
Past Lists
- 2025 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2024 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2023 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2022 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2021 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2020 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2019 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2018 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2017 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2013 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2012 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2011 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2010 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2009 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2008 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2007 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2006 Southern California Super Lawyers list
Education
-
Legal Education
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McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific,
Sacramento,
California, 2000
J.D.
Honors: Dean's List
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McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific,
Sacramento,
California, 2000
-
Non Legal Education
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University of Southern California, 1996
B.A.
Honors: Dean's List
-
University of Southern California, 1996
Current Employment Position(s)
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Managing Partner
Classes and Seminars
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Panelist, Current Issues in Right of Likeness, Defamation and Privacy, Beverly Hills Bar Association, Entertainment Law Section, 2011
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Panelist, Injuries Without Remedies, Loyola Law School’s Legal Symposium, March 26, 2010
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Panelist, Right of Publicity: How Much Is Your Client Really Worth?, Beverly Hills Bar Association, Entertainment Law Section, March 21, 2012
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The Ever-Evolving Courtroom Drama of Net Profits, Donald L. Stone’s Inn of St. Ives, 2012
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Panelist, The Right of Publicity: The State of The Current Law, Beverly Hills Bar Association, Entertainment Law Section, 2014
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Panelist, Entertainment Year in Review: Entertainment Litigation With Stars Of The Bar, Beverly Hills Bar Association, Entertainment Law Section, 2017
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Panelist, “I’m a Celebrity, You Can’t Do That, (Can You?), California Society of Entertainment Lawyers, 2018
- Adjunct Professor, Entertainment and Media Litigation, Southwestern School of Law, 2012 - Present
Representative Cases
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Gerbosi v. Gaims, Weil, West & Epstein, LLP, 193 Cal.App.4th 435
- Year: 2011
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Walker v. Geico General Ins. Co., 558 F.3d 1025 (9th Cir.)
- Year: 2009
Published Works
Articles
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Takedown Notices and Developments in Fair Use, Los Angeles Daily Journal, December 6, 2019
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My Big Mouth: Whether It’s A Comment To The Press, A Letter To The Defendant Or A Memo For The Court, Legal Communications Can Result In Attorney Liability, Advocate Magazine, December, 2019
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Entertainment Contracts With Minors in New York and California, New York State Bar Association, Arts and Sports Law Journal, Vol. 30, No. 1, Spring, 2019
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Defamation and Invasion of Privacy in the Internet Age, Southwestern Journal of International Law, Volume XXV, 2019
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When Will Legal Communication Result In Liability?, Los Angeles Daily Journal, March, 2019
- Entertainment Contracts With Minors: Clarification Needed, Los Angeles Daily Journal, November, 2018
- Tales and Lessons Regarding the Right of Publicity, USC Entertainment Law Spotlight, Issue 2, 2018
- Hollywood Docket: Tales and Lessons Regarding the Right of Publicity, New York State Bar Association, Arts and Sports Law Journal, No. 2, Summer, 2018
- Hollywood Docket: Essential Clauses for Drafting an Ironclad Release and Consent Agreement, New York State Bar Association, Arts and Sports Law Journal, Vol. 29, No. 1, Spring, 2018
- Hollywood Docket: Making the Perfect Pitch, New York State Bar Association, Arts and Sports Law Journal, Vol. 27, No.3, Fall/Winter, 2017
- Hollywood Docket: One-Sided World, New York State Bar Association, Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Journal, Vol 27, No. 2., Summer, 2016
- A New Way to Revive a Corporation, Los Angeles Daily Journal, October 26, 2016
- Hollywood Docket: Social Media, the Law, and You, New York State Bar Association, Arts and Sports Law Journal, Vol. 27, No. 3, Fall, 2016
Bar Admissions
- California
Photo
Contact
439 North Canon Drive
Suite 200
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Phone: 310-905-6433
Email: Send a message
Website: https://www.jjllplaw.com/
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