Mark Stafford
Mark is a partner in the firm’s Dispute Resolution, Brand Protection and Digital Groups.
He trained at the West End firm of Hamlins and after qualification in 2003 remained there for over two years working on a variety of contentious matters in the firm’s Media and Entertainment department. These included copyright infringement disputes for the team behind Little Britain and the well-publicised High Court litigation brought by members of Bob Marley and the Wailers against Island Records in 2005.
Mark joined Lee & Thompson in 2006 and now handles all types of contentious work throughout the entertainment industry for both talent and corporate clients.
Mark advises on the full spectrum of music industry disputes, from copyright infringement matters to breach of contract claims, acting for artists, labels, publishers, management companies and agents, and has been involved in a number of high profile Court actions. Mark acts for a number of talent clients, from niche producers and DJs, such as Zinc, Benga, Darren Emmerson and James Lavelle, through to industry heavyweights, such as Prince, Tom Jones, Queen, and Bryan Ferry. Mark has a wide breadth of knowledge across all musical genres, his experience as both a DJ and promoter lending him a specific expertise in the dance and urban music sectors.
Mark also represents a number of film and television clients, advising producers, distributors and agents across all types of contentious issues, as well as advising talent clients, such as Stephen Fry, Bill Bailey and Matt Lucas, on brand protection matters. Mark has a particularly strong reputation for pre-broadcast copyright and libel clearance work, which he regularly undertakes for the producers of high-profile television series and feature films.
An increasing part of Mark’s practice is his privacy and defamation work, in which he has represented a number of celebrities and corporate clients in disputes with print publications and online media platforms.
Mark is a member of the firm’s dedicated Digital Group and provides advice on disputes arising from internet activity, including online infringement, digital piracy and social media issues. He also advises regularly on digital asset protection, trade mark registration and domain name acquisition.
