What Crown does

Crown, LLP is a boutique intellectual property and entertainment law firm headquartered in San Francisco, California, founded in 2015 by Owen Seitel and Elizabeth J. Rest. The firm provides specialized legal services across trademark prosecution and enforcement, copyright registration and protection, right of publicity representation, licensing transactions, contract negotiation, entertainment law (film/TV/multimedia, music, sports/athlete representation, live theater), general counsel retainers, and business formation. Its client base spans individual artists and startups through large corporations across verticals including confectionery, fashion/apparel, fitness, cannabis, and creative agencies. The firm is privately held, founder-controlled, and bootstrapped with no external institutional investment; it operates from a single downtown San Francisco office at 155 Montgomery Street while serving both U.S. and international clients. Revenue is generated through professional-services billing on an engagement-by-engagement basis, with quote-based pricing not publicly disclosed. The firm expanded in October 2024 through the acquisition of Evoke Law, adding a cannabis IP practice.

The firm has no proprietary technology platform, software product, or AI/ML capability; its core offering is partner-led legal expertise validated by sustained third-party recognition. Crown holds two registered trademarks (Crown® and Advising Creativity®) and operates a multi-channel thought-leadership distribution engine comprising a monthly newsletter (Advising Creativity®, launched March 2022), a YouTube channel, articles in legal and industry trade publications, and conference speaking at events such as CLA IP Institute, SXSW, INTA Annual Meetings, and ABA conferences. The go-to-market motion is sales-led, relying on direct client engagement, professional referrals, and content-marketing-driven inbound inquiry.

The leadership team includes Founding Partners Owen Seitel and Elizabeth J. Rest, and Partner Nicole A. Katsin, with a stated headcount of 1–10 employees. Both founders hold leadership positions in the California Lawyers Association IP Law Section and serve as adjunct professors at Golden Gate University School of Law, functioning as a talent pipeline and academic brand presence. Crown has been continuously recognized on the Northern California Super Lawyers list since 2013 (Elizabeth J. Rest), was named to the inaugural Chambers USA California Spotlight Guide 2025 and the 2026 edition, and both principals were named Top Intellectual Property Lawyers for 2025 by the Daily Journal.

Name

Crown

Legal name

Crown, LLP

Website

https://crownllp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Crown, LLP is a San Francisco-based boutique intellectual property and entertainment law firm serving businesses and individual creators across trademark, copyright, licensing, right of publicity, and entertainment law, with specialized practices in cannabis, fitness, and creative industries. Founded in 2015.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services — Intellectual Property Law

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Trademark Prosecution & Brand Protection (BPAHAMAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Contracting, Licensing & Rights Management (Music/Performance Releases) (HSACAHAM)

Keywords

• Intellectual property law
• Trademark registration
• Entertainment law
• Copyright protection
• Right of publicity

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Billing: Crown LLP generates revenue by providing legal services including trademark prosecution and enforcement, copyright registration, licensing agreements, right of publicity, contract negotiation, business formation, and general counsel services. The firm bills clients for legal counsel, likely on an hourly or fixed-fee basis typical of boutique law firms. Specific fee structures are not publicly disclosed.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Crown, LLP is a boutique law firm providing intellectual property and entertainment legal services to businesses and individual creatives. Core offerings include trademark registration, prosecution and enforcement, copyright protection and licensing, right of publicity representation, IP licensing transactions, entertainment law counsel for film/TV/music/sports/theater, contract negotiation, business formation, and ongoing general counsel retainers.

Product overview

Crown LLP is a boutique intellectual property and entertainment law firm offering a comprehensive suite of legal services. The firm operates as a single integrated legal practice rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Core service offerings include Intellectual Property Legal Services (covering trademark, copyright, right of publicity, and licensing) and Entertainment Legal Services (covering film/TV/multimedia, music, sports/athlete representation, and live theater). Additional specialized services include General Counsel retainers, Fitness Industry Legal Services, Cannabis Industry Legal Services, Creative Agencies Legal Services, and Business Formation & Operations. The firm serves clients ranging from individual artists and startups to large corporations across industries including food and beverage, fashion, fitness, and entertainment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Intellectual Property Legal Services Comprehensive intellectual property legal services including trademark registration, prosecution, and enforcement; copyright protection and licensing; right of publicity representation; and intellectual property licensing transactions. Serves businesses and individual creators needing IP protection and monetization.
• Entertainment Legal Services Legal representation for entertainment industry clients covering film, TV, and multimedia production; music industry matters; sports and athlete representation; and live theater operations. Serves entertainment companies, producers, talent, and creators needing IP and contract counsel.
• General Counsel Services

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Evoke LawcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 October 2024Crown LLP acquired Evoke Law in October 2024, expanding the boutique San Francisco law firm's capabilities and team. This acquisition represents a significant growth move, adding expertise and client relationships to the firm.
• International Trademark Association (INTA)minorOthersCrown LLP partners regularly attend and exhibit at INTA Annual Meetings (Washington D.C. 2022, Atlanta 2024, San Diego 2025), participating in the leading global trademark association's programming and networking events.
• California Lawyers Association (CLA) IP Law SectioncoreOthersCrown LLP partners hold multiple leadership positions in the CLA IP Law Section: Elizabeth J. Rest serves as Chair of the Entertainment and Sports Interest Group and Chair of the Cannabis IP Interest Group; Owen Seitel serves as Co-Vice Chair of the Entertainment and Sports Interest Group. Partners also serve as CLA IP Section Delegates and speak regularly at CLA events including the Annual IP Institute.
• Burley Law LimitedminorOthersCrown LLP Founding Partner Elizabeth J. Rest co-presented with Des Burley of Burley Law Limited (UK) on IP Protection and Enforcement in Fashion at the CLA IP Institute 2026, representing a cross-border professional collaboration.
• Golden Gate University School of LawminorOthersCrown LLP founding partners Owen Seitel and Elizabeth J. Rest serve as adjunct professors of law, co-teaching an IP Law Practicum on copyright and trademark prosecution at Golden Gate University School of Law in San Francisco since August 2015.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Haynes Boone: Full-service firm with a notable entertainment and IP practice serving music, film, and sports clients. Comparable in entertainment IP overlap, though operating as a broad incumbent rather than a boutique specialist.
• Latham & Watkins: Global full-service firm with strong IP and entertainment practices. Comparable on IP and entertainment transactions, but at vastly larger scale and with broader corporate, litigation, and regulatory offerings.
• Kilpatrick Townsend: National IP-focused firm with deep trademark prosecution and brand protection practices. Comparable to Crown's IP core services, but with significantly more attorneys, offices, and resources dedicated to portfolio management.
• Davis Wright Tremaine: National full-service firm with nationally recognized entertainment, IP, and media practices. Overlaps with Crown in trademark prosecution, copyright, right of publicity, and entertainment counsel, but operates as a broad incumbent across many practice areas and geographies.
• Fenwick & West: West Coast-based firm with a premier IP and technology transactions practice. Comparable on trademark and copyright work, particularly for tech and consumer-facing clients, but operates at substantially larger scale and with broader corporate capability.

Direct peers

• Frankfurt Kurnit Klein + Selz: Mid-sized New York firm with a strong entertainment, advertising, and IP practice. Closely comparable in serving creative industries and individual talent, with a similar partner-led culture but larger headcount and broader practice areas.
• Loeb & Loeb: National full-service law firm with a leading entertainment and IP practice serving music, film, sports, and advertising clients. Comparable to Crown in core IP/entertainment focus and boutique-style partner attention, but with materially greater scale and geographic reach.
• Goldstein Law Group: Boutique IP and trademark law firm serving brands and creative clients. Comparable to Crown as a smaller, partner-led IP boutique with a focus on trademark prosecution, brand protection, and client service depth.
• Mandour & Associates: Boutique IP law firm focused on trademark prosecution, litigation, and brand protection. Comparable to Crown in scope of IP services and boutique client service model, particularly for SMB and individual clients.
• Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp: Los Angeles-based law firm with a long-standing entertainment, IP, and media practice. Directly comparable in serving music, film, and sports clients with IP and right of publicity work, though with a larger team and additional corporate practice areas.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/crownllp
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CrownLLP
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/crownllp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Crown