Tanisha Pinkins

Tanisha Pinkins is a corporate and private equity lawyer in Holland & Knight's Atlanta office. Ms. Pinkins focuses her practice on representing U.S.-based private equity firms and U.S.-based global corporations in connection with mergers and acquisitions (M&A), as well as sports and entertainment clients with a broad range of corporate matters.

Additionally, Ms. Pinkins regularly advises Grammy Award-winning artists, U.S. Olympians, National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Football League (NFL) athletes, individual collegiate athletes, influencers, film makers, fashion retailers, entertainment executives, as well as sports agencies and music labels, with matters related to content acquisition, financing, production and digital distribution.

In the music sector, Ms. Pinkins' practice includes the purchase and acquisition of music catalogs and the structuring and negotiation of complex agreements across the interrelated sectors of recorded music, including royalties, distribution, recording, music publishing, live performances, film and television talent, film production, merchandising, sponsorships and endorsements. She brings strategic counsel to clients navigating the multifaceted legal and commercial frameworks that underpin the entertainment and media industries.

In addition, Ms. Pinkins represents a variety of clients in sponsorship and name, image and likeness (NIL) deals – including NIL athlete registration – and equity investments. She also counsels major media and production companies and entertainers on content acquisition, film investments agreements, financing, production and digital distribution. Additionally, Ms. Pinkins secures, protects and enforces clients' copyright and trademark intellectual property (IP) rights and advises digital media and entertainment clients regarding advertising, talent agreements and social media use.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Ms. Pinkins was an attorney for a global law firm in its Atlanta office.

Recent Engagements in Connection with Private Equity, Entertainment, Sports Law and IP Include:

Private Equity and Mergers and Acquisitions

• Represented a New York-based private equity fund with $2.6 billion under management and its portfolio companies in multiple transactions involving consideration in excess of $1.5 billion
• Represented a solar energy company in a $2.2 billion SPAC deal led by an entirely women-led SPAC
• Represented a global end-to-end customer experience corporation in a $750 million acquisition of 12 subsidiaries of an online travel agency
• Represented a specialty beverage company in a $650 million acquisition and recapitalization by a private equity firm
• Represented a private equity company in a $122 million acquisition of a beauty retail company

Music Law

• Represented a music conglomerate in a $425 million multi-party transaction involving the sale of music rights and equity interests
• Represented a DJ and record producer in a $190 million asset sale involving the transfer of a broad portfolio of sound recording and NIL rights
• Represented a seller in a $165 million asset sale involving the transfer of a broad portfolio of entertainment-related rights and interests held by a prominent recording artist and affiliated entities; transaction encompassed musical compositions and sound recordings, NIL rights, trademarks and copyrights, and associated income streams and contractual rights
• Represented a Grammy-nominated rhythm and blues (R&B) artist in a royalty dispute with a media distribution and marketing company
• Represented a record label in negotiating a recording, co-publishing and distribution agreement with a major artist and major distribution company
• Represented an executive producer, film maker, actress and Grammy-nominated music artist in a copyright infringement matter
• Provided analysis of royalty and diligence obligations, including chain of title and copyrights, in connection with a bridge loan for profit participation in a catalogue of 600-plus music tracks

Sports Law

• Negotiate high-value name, image and likeness (NIL) agreements for elite high school, collegiate and professional athletes
• Represented an NBA Hall of Famer in a $30 million multi-phase, cross-border asset sale involving the divestiture of branded apparel and media assets
• Represented an NBA player in a restructuring and divestiture of assets project
• Represented a prominent U.S. Olympic track and field gold medalist in connection with the Athlete Agents Act and general corporate matters
• Prepared and filed more than 60 NIL athlete agent registration applications on behalf of a premier sports agency, ensuring compliance with state and institutional regulations governing athlete representation

Intellectual Property, Media and Film

• Filed and secured more than 50 U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) trademarks for a variety of clients, including celebrities, fashion retailers, hospitality and fitness companies, athletes and music labels and artists
• Draft IP, acquisition, licensing and co-existence agreements
• Served as finance and production outside counsel for a documentary film team
• Negotiated more than 50 investment financing, production, executive producer and related agreements for podcasts, documentaries, feature films and television series
• Represented a social media influencer in an IP and defamation dispute
• Represented an executive producer, film maker, actress and Grammy-nominated music artist and playwright in a copyright infringement action regarding the use of her manuscript in a hit TV series
• Represented an event design and production company in a copyright infringement action regarding its web design and company's trademarks
• Represented a female technology (FemTech) company in a trademark infringement action regarding its product rebrand and website
• Represented a video game developer in a multijurisdictional copyright and trademark infringement action regarding its video game characters and designs