10100 Santa Monica Boulevard
Suite 2200
Los Angeles,
California
90067
 310.282.2299
 310.919.3785
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Scott
Zolke
Partner
Scott B. Zolke focuses his practice on media, entertainment, sports and intellectual property law. He has extensive experience representing media companies, particularly those in the television and radio industries. He has handled acquisitions and sales of media properties and programming, and other intellectual property assets.
Mr. Zolke’s diverse clientele includes both talent and institutional clients in all areas of television, radio and new technologies. He represents a number of television production companies with a special emphasis in the non-scripted television business. He has negotiated several high profile radio programming acquisitions, including Rick Dees, Casey Kasem, Rush Limbaugh, Jim Rome, Ryan Seacrest and Dr. Laura Schlessinger.
In the area of sports law, Mr. Zolke has substantial experience handling a variety matters, including media rights, venue, sponsorship and naming rights agreements. He has negotiated numerous local and network broadcast rights agreements on behalf of college and professional sports teams, as well as broadcasters.
Additionally, Mr. Zolke handles a substantial amount of intellectual property matters, including name and likeness exploitation, branding and licensing.
Prior Work Experience
After earning his law degree, Mr. Zolke became an associate director of athletics and legal counsel at Georgia Tech. During his tenure at Georgia Tech, he negotiated corporate sponsorship and naming rights agreements for football and basketball, and was involved in the landmark antitrust case brought against the NCAA over the telecasting of college football games. In that case, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the NCAA television plan, which gave the NCAA exclusive control over broadcasting college football games, constituted an illegal restraint of trade. Mr. Zolke later served on the College Football Association Television Committee and was involved in the expansion of televised college football games on broadcast and cable networks. He also was one of the authors of the NCAA drug testing policy.
Representative Experience
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Represented the Sacramento Kings in connection with the team's evaluation of a potential relocation from Sacramento to the City of Anaheim, as well as in media rights matters, including local television and regional sports network negotiations.
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Represented the Los Angeles Clippers in connection with negotiation of local radio and television broadcast agreements with KFWB and Fox Sports Net Prime Ticket.
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Represented Tribune Broadcasting in structuring distribution and content acquisition agreements for the launch of Antenna TV, a digital multicast network airing classic television programs and movies on TV stations across the U.S. Assisted Tribune in negotiating favorable residual rates with the guilds in order to acquire the content, which includes shows such as All in the Family, Three’s Company, Father Knows Best and The Monkees, among others.
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Represented Tribune Broadcasting in negotiations with the NFL Network for licensing rights to simulcast Thursday NFL games on Tribune stations in the local markets where the games are held.
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Represented Clear Channel Communications in negotiations for local radio rights agreements in several markets with Major League Baseball and NBA teams.
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Represented Clear Channel Communications in a number of successful trademark infringement actions over the expansion of national radio brands.
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Secured an arbitration victory for Dial Communications Global Media, a division of Triton Media Networks, in a dispute with Pacific West Radio Sports LLC regarding network radio rights for NFL game broadcasts.
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Represented the Los Angeles Dodgers in media-related matters.
Media Mentions
Distinctions
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Named "New Star" by Lawdragon 500 (2006)
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University of Miami School of Law, J.D., 1979
Georgia Institute of Technology, B.S., 1976, With High Honors
California, 1988
Illinois, 1980
Georgia, 1984
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