Sports & Entertainment

Fredrikson understands that during the lifespan of a professional career, athletes will encounter numerous opportunities and challenges that have legal implications relating to both personal and business matters. We provide professional athletes with practical, seasoned advice with respect to a wide variety of contracts, agents, managers, teams, sponsors, employment, personal appearance and related industry licensing arrangements. For the individuals we represent, we advise on contracts and licensing agreements, trust and estate planning, asset protection, franchise and business start-ups, real estate development and investments, tax planning, immigration, brand protection and enhancement, intellectual property disputes, and non-profit formation and governance. Athletes, artists and entertainers look to Fredrikson to help protect their interests and maximize the positive impact they can have on themselves, their families and their communities, regardless of what phase they are at in their career. We are skilled at protecting writings, inventions and business ideas and resolving disputes and initiating litigation when necessary, as well as defending against wrongful claims.

• Act as general legal advisor to three-time All-Star infielder on several international business ventures, including corporate structuring and tax issues, commercial litigation, and immigration matters. Also formed a charitable foundation.
• Assist a prominent, internationally-renowned musician’s estate on licensing arrangements and recording agreements.
• Represent a former multiple Gold Glove award-winning catcher on a patent prosecution, media law issues and a family law issue.
• Represent a former Cy Young Award winner by providing general corporate counsel on business ventures. Also assisted on trademark matters.
• Assist a commercial photographer with licensing and various business agreements.
• Represent multiple athletes from various nationalities on their estate planning.
• Advise athletes on issues relating to residency for Minnesota state tax purposes.
• Represent a professional motocross racer in agent relations, sponsor and merchandising agreements, and various business matters.
• Represent advertisers, direct marketing and sales promotion agencies, designers, illustrators, photographers and other creative service businesses of all sizes throughout the country with regard to agency/client agreements, talent contracts and idea disclosure agreements.
• Represent a professional basketball team with a trademark matter in relation to a player’s nickname.
• Represent professional baseball players in establishing international foundations to support educational and other charitable missions.
• Representations related to review of advertising copy and drafting of sweepstakes rules and registrations, as well as competitive advertising disputes and litigation.
• Represent professional hockey players in tax matters relating to IRS disclosures of non-U.S. financial assets and entities.
• Represent artists, authors and publishers on non-compete, confidentiality and hold-harmless agreements as well as issues related to SAG/AFTRA.
• Assist professional hockey players with analyzing the U.S. tax consequences of various international transactions, including loans and gifts to non-U.S. family members and investments in non-U.S. companies.
• Represent video, film, television and multimedia production companies, producers, directors, writers and investment partnerships in areas including the analysis of entertainment projects and investment opportunities, business and project organization, copyright and trademark protection and licensing, analysis and negotiation filming, production and distribution agreements, sale and licensing of rights in stores, screenplays, photography and music, television programming and network commercial clearance agreements.
• Represent heir of a nationally renowned musician on music copyright infringement claims against a record label.
• Represented a well-known public figure whose voice was being used without authorization to endorse a cryptocurrency through the use of an artificial intelligence speech generator and publicly available samples of the client’s voice.
• Drafted and negotiated production development agreement for documentary film involving about an iconic Minnesota institution.

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