Robert Klieger

Practice Areas

Robert N. Klieger has earned a national reputation as a go-to litigator and trusted advisor to media and entertainment clients.

Mr. Klieger resolves high-stakes disputes for clients in the motion picture, television, and video game industries. Fortune 500 companies and leading executives alike value his exceptional courtroom skills and successful outcomes in a broad array of matters, including copyright, trademark, profit participation, licensing, and shareholder derivative suits.

Among his accolades, Mr. Klieger has been named “Entertainment Litigation Attorney of the Year” by Benchmark Litigation and has been recognized on The Hollywood Reporter’s “Power Lawyers” list and Variety’s “Legal Impact Report.” He’s also been honored as an Entertainment Law “MVP” by Law360 and as a leading lawyer in Media and Entertainment and General Commercial Litigation by Chambers.

In March 2025, Mr. Klieger secured a complete defense verdict for The Walt Disney Company and its subsidiaries in a high-profile suit brought by an animator who alleged the blockbuster movie “Moana” infringed his copyrights. Mr. Klieger is currently representing the major record labels, including UMG Recordings, Warner Music Group, and Sony Music Entertainment, in high-stakes copyright litigation against two leading generative AI music companies, Suno and Udio. He is also representing the successor to the rights of Michael Crichton, the acclaimed author and filmmaker who created the television series “ER,” in a high-profile suit filed against Warner Bros., John Wells, and Noah Wyle related to the HBO Max series “The Pitt.”

Mr. Klieger served as lead counsel for media mogul Sumner M. Redstone in one of the most dramatic and high-stakes entertainment industry showdowns in decades. The battle for control of Mr. Redstone’s $40 billion media empire played out in a series of high-profile legal proceedings in the courts of Delaware, Massachusetts, and California that were front-page news in mainstream and industry publications, including Fortune, The Hollywood Reporter, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Variety. Through across-the-board victories in these actions, Mr. Klieger helped restore Mr. Redstone’s control of Viacom and cleared the way for sweeping changes in the management and strategic direction of the company.

In addition to his litigation engagements, Mr. Klieger regularly advises motion picture studios, broadcast and cable television networks, and video game publishers in connection with a wide variety of intellectual property, privacy, and contract issues. He is frequently consulted in connection with the negotiation and drafting of complex motion picture licensing and distribution agreements.

Mr. Klieger served on the board of directors of CBS Corporation from 2017 through 2019 and on the board of directors of ViacomCBS, Inc., subsequently renamed Paramount Global, from 2019 through 2024.