Quinn Emanuel Lawyer Protects Oscar IP and Theater Door
Quinn Emanuel partner David Quinto does double duty for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He protects trademarks and copyrights for the organization—and he’ll be protecting the awards ceremony on Sunday from gate crashers.
Quinto talked to the Hollywood Reporter and the Wall Street Journal Law Blog about his efforts. “Attention Academy Award winners: David Quinto will sue you if you sell your Oscar,” the Hollywood Reporter says. “He’ll sue you if you try to sell someone else’s Oscar, or if you make a fake Oscar, or even if you call yourself an Oscar winner.”
Award winners are barred from selling their awards under a contract they sign that gives the Academy the right of first refusal if they want to sell, Quinto explained to the Law Blog.
Much of what Quinto does to protect misuse of the Oscar name consists of “bluffing and persuasion, he told the Hollywood Reporter. “And a lot involves education.”
The Hollywood Reporter asked Quinto about the strangest thing he’s ever seen anyone do to the Oscar Statuette. “There are so many!” he replied. “Somebody was selling Oscars with, uh, rather large phalluses. And there was a real Oscar recovered in a drug bust, which was a little unusual.”
On Oscar night, Quinto will be at the “help table” where he’ll be checking out people whose tickets don’t match their identification, or who have lost their tickets for some reason.
Quinto told the Law Blog that only Pricewaterhouse Coopers knows the winners that will be announced this weekend. His prediction for best picture? The Hurt Locker. “I hope it wins; I thought it was the year’s best,” he said.
