Paul Loving is a transactional attorney whose practice focuses on business deals and advice to individuals and brands in the sports, entertainment and consumer products sectors. Mr. Loving has 25 years of extensive experience working as outside and in-house counsel for startups as well as Fortune 500 companies.
Mr. Loving is highly knowledgeable in sports marketing matters, including athlete, team, event, and league endorsement, licensing and sponsorship agreements. Mr. Loving has drafted, structured and negotiated numerous sports marketing agreements, including agreements with the New York Yankees, Anschutz Entertainment Group, LA Kings, Boston Marathon, University of Miami, University of Kansas, University of Michigan, UCLA, Notre Dame, NFL, NBA, MLB, MLS, NASCAR, Aaron Rodgers, Von Miller, Dak Prescott, Joe Montana, Kris Bryant, Aaron Judge, Carlos Correa, Roger Clemens, Mark Gonzalez, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carmen Jordá, Wanderlust Festivals, Steven Gerrard, Jozy Altidore, Candace Parker, James Harden, Damian Lillard, Derrick Rose, Kevin Garnett and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Mr. Loving's clients rely on his negotiation skills. He led the negotiating team for adidas' historic long-term partnership with Kanye West and its multilayered partnership with Beyoncé, which includes the co-creation of performance and lifestyle products and a unique purpose-driven program. In addition, Mr. Loving has represented brands in deals with some of the biggest musicians, entertainers and influencers in the business, including Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner, Karlie Kloss, Soo Joo Park, Sophia Ritchie, Ming Xi, Pharrell Williams, Donald Glover, Justin Bieber, Snoop Dogg, Selena Gomez, Katy Perry, Ciara, Rita Ora, Nicki Minaj, SZA, Dua Lipa, Jeremy Scott, Hannah Bronfman, Petra Collins, Kayla Itsines, Stormzy, Chronixx, Missy Elliott, Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, Russell Simmons, Young Jeezy, Redman, Method Man, Ne-Yo, Nelly, A$AP Rocky, A$AP Ferg, Pusha T, Kid Cudi, 2 Chainz, Migos, Noel Gallagher, Martin Garrix, Shay Mitchell, Emily Ratajkowski, Hailey Baldwin, Zoe Saldana, Ken Jeong, Chadwick Boseman, Jonah Hill, Scott Eastwood, Ranveer Singh and Jimmy Kimmel.
He also has negotiated product collaboration and licensing agreements with athletic legends, international brands, renowned artists and chefs, and licensing companies including Lucas Films, Warner Bros., Def Jam Recordings, Muhammad Ali, Jesse Owens, Burton Snowboards, Reigning Champ, the Estate of Andy Warhol, Stella McCartney, Zaha Hadid, Mariana Abramović, Daniel Arsham, Eddie Huang and the Collegiate Licensing Company.
Mr. Loving is well-versed in negotiating master and publishing licenses for music used in global marketing campaigns and advises clients on content review and clearance, rights acquisition and content distribution, and issues related to SAG and the FTC. He also negotiates and drafts television production and distribution agreements.
Mr. Loving's practice includes drafting and negotiating general business and commercial agreements, including mergers and acquisitions, marketing, vendor, sales, consulting, distribution, manufacturing and strategic alliance agreements.
Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Loving served as special counsel for adidas. He also previously served as an assistant general counsel at Nike, where he handled sports marketing, advertising, entertainment, television and digital matters. Mr. Loving also was vice president of business development and general counsel at a private equity-funded digital media sports and health content provider headquartered in Australia.
Before entering private practice, Mr. Loving served as a judicial clerk for the Oregon Supreme Court, where he was the first African-American to clerk for the state's highest court.
In the community, Mr. Loving is an adjunct professor of sports law at the University of Oregon School of Law, and he is a frequent guest lecturer nationally on sports law and intellectual property issues. During his undergraduate studies, Mr. Loving was a member of the 1987 NCAA Championship Track and Field team.
Contact info:
Paul.Loving@hklaw.com
503.517.2927