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Desktop Image: Freeman, Cydney Swofford
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Cydney Swofford Freeman

Partner

T 213.633.8612 Los Angeles
I help creators make and protect some of the best content out there.
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Cydney Swofford Freeman counsels and defends traditional, new, and disruptive content creators. She handles both litigation and pre-broadcast counseling for clients ranging from larger players like worldwide streaming services to individual documentarians, producers, and journalists. She is fascinated by the law's influence on creativity, with a particular interest in how copyright laws apply to choreography. Her litigation practice focuses on First Amendment, copyright, trademark, idea-submission, defamation, right-of-publicity, and related matters. And she regularly provides pre-broadcast fair use, defamation, privacy, and production counseling for a wide range of documentary, scripted, and unscripted productions.

Cydney joined DWT after starting her legal career in New York, where her practice covered a broad range of First Amendment, media, and other litigation matters. She also co-chaired a pro bono program teaching the nuts and bolts of constitutional and criminal law to high school students in the Bronx.

Practice Highlights

Pre-broadcast and IP counseling

Provides pre-broadcast fair use, copyright, defamation, privacy, and production counseling and other IP advice to media, entertainment, and technology companies. Recent highlights include "Fosse/Verdon," "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story," "Surviving R. Kelly," "Cheer," "Chef's Table," "Allen v. Farrow," "Dumb Money," "Marty Supreme," "Pretend It's a City," "Phoenix Rising," "On the Record," "Physical," "Snowpiercer," "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee," "Red Table Talk," "Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult," "Polo," "Dogs," and "Toxic: The Britney Spears Story."

Media litigation

Regularly represents media clients in copyright, trademark, defamation, idea-submission, right-of-publicity, anti-SLAPP, and other litigation matters nationwide to protect and defend documentaries, television series, films, books, music, games, and less traditional content (fun highlights: recipe tutorial and flight safety videos).
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Admitted to Practice

  • New York
  • California
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
  • U.S. District Court, Central District of California
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of California
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit

Education

  • J.D., New York University School of Law, 2015
    • Articles Editor, Journal of Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law
    • Clinic on Policy Advocacy in Latin America
  • B.A., Broadcast Journalism and Latin American Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2012
    • ABC11/Walt Disney Scholar

Languages

  • English, Spanish

Memberships & Affiliations

    • Active Member, Production Executives Peer Group, Television Academy

Professional Recognition

    • Named "One to Watch" by Best Lawyers in Entertainment and Sports Law, 2024-2026; in Intellectual Property Law, 2024-2026
    • Named a "Rising Star" by Law360, 2023
    • Pro Bono Publico Award, Legal Aid Society, 2017

Background

    • Associate, Cahill Gordon & Reindel, New York, N.Y., 2015-2017
    • Legal Intern, Mecklenburg County Public Defender’s Office, Charlotte, N.C., 2013
    • Undergraduate Intern, CNN International, CNN en Español, NBC News (IRTS Fellow), ABC WTVD
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