Bobby Desmond
An Entertainment, Media, Internet, and IP Lawyer
Bobby Desmond is an associate attorney at Walters Law Group in Central Florida. Bobby received a Juris Doctor and Certificate in Intellectual Property Law from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, and he is admitted to practice law in Florida and New York. He represents clients in traditional media and entertainment such as print journalists and podcasters, as well as numerous individuals and companies in adult entertainment including models, studios, paysites, cam sites, tube sites, fan sites, dating sites, and sex toy manufacturers. Bobby also serves as counsel to many mainstream online service providers including social media sites, mobile applications, website and cloud hosts, virtual worlds, job boards, and numerous e-commerce companies. He also advises a large variety of gaming clients in skills gambling, skins betting, mystery boxes, handicapping, and software development and distribution. He previously worked in New York City at AMC Networks and in Washington D.C. with America’s Public Television Stations at PBS.
In the Media
Speaking Engagements
- Gambling 101: A Discussion on how Gambling Intersects with Entertainment and Sports – Florida Bar EASL Student Council (November 1, 2021)
- Entertainment and Sports Law Symposium – University of Florida Levin College of Law (February 21, 2020)
Scholarly Law Journals
- An Overview of Entertainment and Sports Domain Disputes – Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Journal (Summer 2022)
- Mavrix’s Misguided Guidelines: An Offense Against the DMCA Safe Harbor Defense – Journal of Technology Law and Policy (Spring 2018)
Industry Publications
- Legal Considerations for NFTs and Crypto Art – XBIZ World Magazine (September 2021)
Guest Posts on Legal Blogs
- Deepfake Laws in the United States – Deepfake.com (February 16, 2022)
- Trademark Ecosystem Report – Electronically In Touch (April 7, 2020)
- Guidelines for Sponsored Social Media Posts – The Law of Sex (February 17, 2020)
- Guidelines for Social Media Sweepstakes – Sweeps Law (February 17, 2020)
- Legislative panic about deep fakes skips over NY for now, but changes to right of publicity could be coming soon – Electronically In Touch (August 3, 2019)
- Congress Considering Deep Fakes Law – Law of Sex (June 26, 2019)
- Does the FCC’s plan to “Unlock the Box” inadvertently unlock piracy? – Criminal Law in the Virtual Context (October 15, 2016)
Featured Media
- Sleazy Project Sold NFTs of Porn Stars, But Never Got Their Permission – Futurism (August 26, 2022)
Practice Areas
Intellectual Property
- Copyright registration
- Trademark registration
- Copyright assignments
- Trademark assignments
- Licensing agreements
- Copyright infringement
- Copyright litigation
- Trademark infringement
- Brand name clearance
- Trademark monitoring
- Trademark opposition
- DMCA takedowns and counter notices
- Trademark takedowns
- Domain disputes
- UDRP claims
- UDRP defenses
- Trade secrets
- Non-disclosure agreements
Entertainment and Media
- Free speech
- Defamation
- Right of publicity
- Misappropriation
- Name, image, and likeness
- Intrusion or invasion of privacy
- False light claims
- Publication of private facts
- Access to public records
- Amicus briefs
- Lobbying and legislation
- Comments and replies in FCC proceedings
- Compliance with FCC rules
- Cross-promotional deals
- Media releases
- Talent agreements
- Development agreements
- Production agreements
- Content licensing deals
- Pre-publication clearance
- Video game licenses
- Merchandising deals
Adult Entertainment
- 2257 compliance
- FOSTA-SESTA
- Non-consensual dissemination of intimate materials
- 2258A compliance
- Child sexual abuse materials
- Pre-shoot procedures
- Model releases
- Exclusivity agreements
- Photographer agreements
- Property leases and location releases
- Copyright and trademark releases
- Age, identity, and ID verification
- Payment processor requirements
Internet and Social Media
- Section 230 immunity
- Terms of Service
- Privacy policies
- Data privacy
- Content moderation
- Report Abuse forms
- Appeals procedures
- Banned and flagged words
- DMCA compliance
- Repeat infringer policies
- Subpoena responses
- Law enforcement requests
- Website policies
- Cybercrimes
- NFTs and cryptocurrency
- Influencer agreements
- Affiliate agreements
- FTC guidelines on online marketing
- Online dating disclosures
- Revenge Porn
- Artificial Intelligence
- Deepfakes
- Election Interference
Gambling
- Online gambling
- Sports betting
- Skills gaming
- Skins betting
- Mystery boxes
- Social casinos
- Fantasy sports
- Handicapping
- Sweepstakes
- Contest rules
- Software licenses
- Distributor and operator agreements
- Wire Wager Act
- UIGEA
- State law exceptions for amusement games and small prizes
- Reasoned legal opinion letters
Business Law
- Business entities and formation
- Founder and shareholder agreements
- Operating agreements
- Bylaws
- Contract drafting
- Contract review
- Contract litigation
- Employee policies and handbooks
- Confidentiality agreements
- Non-competition agreements
- Non-solicitation agreements
- Labor and employment
- Wage and hour laws
- Family and medical leave
- TCPA and telemarketing