Patrick Perkins has been promoted to Chief Intellectual Property Counsel at Warner Bros, the studio said Monday. Jeremy Williams, who had led Warners’ IP functions for the past 20 years, will expand his current role as Deputy General Counsel and continue to take the lead on policy issues and working with industry groups like the MPAA.
Perkins, who in his Warners career was involved in cases including the studio’s landmark Superman termination rights case (he was co-counsel), most recently had been SVP Intellectual Property after joining Warner Bros in 2012 as VP. In his new role, he will oversee all intellectual property functions including copyright, trademark, music, production clearance and rights analysis.
“Intellectual property is the lifeblood of our business and protecting it is more important—and more difficult—than ever,” said John Rogovin, Warner Bros’ EVP and General Counsel, to whom Perkins will report. “Patrick has been a strategic, thoughtful guardian of Warner Bros’ IP for two decades, both as outside counsel and as a senior member of our legal staff. I look forward to working with him in his new role.”
Williams has been with Warner Bros for 34 years, serving as General Counsel from 1984-1997 before moving to corporate as Chief IP Counsel in 1998.
“Jeremy is one of the great intellectual property minds in our industry and Warner Bros is fortunate to have him,” Rogovin said.
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