Shawn Foust

Shawn Foust is an associate in the firm's Silicon Valley and Century City offices. He is the head of the Video Game Industry Team.

Shawn's practice is devoted to tackling the cutting edge legal issues facing businesses in the entertainment, new media, and technology industries. He handles a blend of intellectual property licensing/litigation and emerging growth finance work. His transactional work includes intellectual property licenses, video game development agreements, non-disclosure agreements, venture financing, and independent contractor agreements. Shawn also specializes in providing end user contracts (such as terms of use, end user license agreements, and privacy policies) specifically catered to the client's products.

His litigation work focuses on providing legal services to institutional entertainment and technology businesses. Prior work includes trademark and copyright disputes, misappropriation of trade secrets, and breach of contract work.

Through his role as leader of Sheppard Mullin's Video Game Industry Group, Shawn seeks to provide the highest level of service to an industry he has long admired. No stranger to video games (Gamer Score 10,000+), Shawn draws upon an understanding of games to ensure that the projects most valuable to his clients are cared for properly. In particular, Shawn emphasizes the importance of structuring legal contracts and services to provide the maximum protection for the client without undermining the quality or integrity of the client's product.

Education

• J.D., University of Virginia, School of Law, Quarter-Finalist, Lyle Moot Court Competition, Mock Trial
• B.A., History, International Relations (Department Citation), and Political Science (Department Citation), University of California, Davis, Graduated with honors

Admissions

• California

Memberships

• Membership Chair, University of Virginia Entertainment L.A.
• California State Bar, Business Law, Litigation and Intellectual Property Law Sections
• Beverly Hills Bar Association
• Century City Rotary Club
• International Game Developers Association

Articles

• "Who Owns The Tools Of The Trade?", Industry Gamers, June 17, 2009
• "The world would be a better place if disputes were resolved by intense Pac-Man marathons", Bitter Lawyer, December 12, 2008
• "These Lawyers Got (Video) Game", Los Angeles Times, December 3, 2008
• "Dealing With 'Rogue Reality'", Game Daily, September 30, 2008
• "Player One", The Recorder, August 25, 2008
• Game Boy: Sheppard Mullin First Year Associate Launches Firm's Video Game Practice, AmLaw Daily, August 23, 2008.
• Entertainment Unit Presses Right Buttons at Firm, Los Angeles Business Journal, August 25, 2008.

Speeches

• Moderator, "The Video Game Industry 2009: New Opportunities," February 26, 2009, Technology Counsel of Southern California
• Guest Speaker, "Video Games and the Law", USC Information Technology Program
• Presenter, "Terms of Service: Ten Ways to Minimize Your Risk," May 13, 2008, ION Game Conference