Stris & Maher

Operating from a network of offices in a diverse array of locations including Los Angeles, New York, Tallahassee and Montpelier, Vermont, Stris & Maher focuses on litigation, including some novel varieties, at both the trial and appellate levels. Name partner Peter Stris is at the forefront of several of such matters. One found Stris at the Supreme Court, where he prevailed 9-0 in a case that resolved an entrenched circuit split on a question of statutory interpretation in copyright litigation concerning whether or not an infringement suit may be filed unless registration has been made. Stris persuaded the Supreme Court that the plain statutory text of the Copyright Act mandates that the registrar must act before suit may be filed. Stris also scored for Karen McDougal, who, months before the 2016 presidential election, was met with by representatives of the National Enquirer’s parent company AMI to pitch her a lucrative writing and fitness-modeling contract. She accepted their offer, agreeing to also sell them the rights to the story of her relationship with Donald Trump as part of the deal. Before long, the Enquirer’s parent made clear it really only wanted her silence. Stris filed suit on McDougal’s behalf and then conducted a media campaign that drove the national discourse for weeks, eventually leading AMI to yield to McDougal’s settlement demands. Stris has also been called upon to provide appellate counsel for toy company MGA in the latest installment of its decades-long legal battle with competitor Mattel in which the client is seeking more than a $1 billion in damages for trade secret misappropriation. Elizabeth Brannen, head of the firm’s intellectual property practice, has plied her trade in litigating patent matters in both in the in-house and private practice capacity.