Sam J. Cohen

Overview

Sam Cohen is an associate in the Entertainment, Technology, and Advertising Practice Group in the firm’s New York office. He is lead associate of the Interactive Media industry team and member of the Artificial Intelligence industry team.

Areas of Practice

Sam represents a variety of established and emerging clients in their transactions and business ventures across all facets of the entertainment industry. His practice focuses on providing strategic counsel and transactional support to clients facing legal, policy, and ethical challenges driven by the convergence of technology, media, and commerce.

Drawing on his background in the music industry—an art form uniquely shaped by technological advancement—Sam advises content creators, rightsholders, publishers, streaming and social media platforms, and game and software developers as they develop and implement forward-looking commercial strategies and distribution models while navigating evolving intellectual property, advertising, and other regulatory issues.

Prior to joining Sheppard Mullin, Sam was an Associate Director in the Business & Legal Affairs department at Sony Music Entertainment.

Specialties include:

Licensing, development, and implementation of AI/ML technology in media and entertainment, including training data and content licensing, AI governance frameworks, risk evaluation and mitigation, and related copyright, trademark, NIL, data privacy, and other regulatory issues.
Music, gaming, and digital content development, production, licensing, acquisition, and distribution across new media platforms.
Commercial and technology transactions including master services agreements, SaaS, and software development and licensing agreements.
Advising on advertising and promotional initiatives across industries including joint venture agreements, influencer marketing, brand integration, sponsorships and endorsements, programmatic advertising, contests, and sweepstakes.
Copyright and trademark strategy, clearance, risk evaluation, registration, enforcement, and compliance with applicable regulations.
Drafting and implementing terms of service, privacy policies, and end-user license agreements for websites, mobile apps, and various products and digital services.