Symposium Spotlight: Stuart Paynter

Want to meet an impactful litigator? How many lawyers have had their case featured on an episode of South Park?

Mr. Paynter began his career as a law clerk for the Honorable David S. Tatel of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Afterward, he moved to Sullivan & Cromwell where he represented clients, including Microsoft, in antitrust suits and numerous consumer class actions brought in both federal and state courts across the country.

Over ten years ago, Mr. Paynter entered into private practice, founding Paynter Law Firm PLLC in Washington, D.C.  In 2015, Mr. Paynter moved his firm to Hillsborough, North Carolina to continue his practice, which focuses on copyright litigation, commercial litigation, and consumer protection.

Mr. Paynter has had and continues to build, an illustrious career, hallmarked by many large settlements in his clients’ favors. In the beforementioned case featured on the television show South Park, Mr. Paynter was one of the lead counsel on the case which involved the use of student-athletes’ names and likenesses in videogames. Mr. Paynter secured a $60 million settlement on behalf of the student-athletes portrayed by the videogame company Electronic Arts.

In addition to his private practice, Mr. Paynter co-teaches Antitrust and Sports, a seminar course at Duke University School of Law, which examines the intersection of sports and antitrust while offering students the opportunity to study real-world issues.

Mr. Paynter has co-authored multiple publications, including an article examining the close relationship between trademarks and right of publicity. Additionally, Mr. Paynter has participated in many symposium panels where he has discussed topics such as the right of publicity for athletes and how attorneys can protect their clients’ likenesses.

Stuart Paynter of Paynter Law Firm PLLC will join the Wake Forest Journal of Business & Intellectual Property Law for our annual spring symposium on February 28, 2020. His panel will examine how compensating athletes for use of their names, images, and likenesses will affect the landscape of sports law. Stuart will be speaking from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. with Sheila Huggins. The discussion will be moderated by Professor Simone Rose.