Nelson, Dale

Dale is a partner at Donaldson + Callif, a boutique firm that specializes in documentary and independent film production, clearance and fair use, championing the free speech rights of filmmakers, podcasters and other artists to tell their stories, their way.  Prior to joining Donaldson + Callif, she spent over 20 years as in-house counsel to Warner Bros., most recently as Vice President and Senior Intellectual Property Counsel. As a senior member of the Warner Bros. Intellectual Property Group, she handled a wide variety of domestic and international intellectual property law and transactional matters across all business divisions of the company, providing advice and managing resolution on rights disputes, clearance, distribution, marketing, production, enforcement, IP policy and legislative matters, and providing transactional drafting and negotiation for acquisitions, licensing, and vendor services relating to production, marketing and distribution. The intellectual properties she has managed include franchise properties (e.g., Harry Potter), new feature and television series, and library classics. Dale has a particular expertise in international laws relating to motion picture production and distribution, copyright, trademark, rights of publicity, moral rights, free speech and fair use. 

Dale was raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin and is a long time Packer fan. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, her J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law, and was an extern to Justice Allen E. Broussard of the California Supreme Court. Her affiliations include AIPPI/AIPLA, of which she is currently serving as Vice Chair of AIPPI-US and Co-Chair of the Standing Committee on Copyright; Los Angeles Copyright Society; and Copyright Society of the USA. Dale is also a long-time supporter of the Western Center on Law and Poverty, of which she is a former board member and current Development Committee Member.