Dalton Hughes

Associate | He/Him/His

Overview

Dalton’s varied project history within the intellectual property space allows him to assist clients at any stage of their goals. Both startups and century-old corporate powerhouses can rely on Dalton to stay current on fast-developing technological trends for their important legal decisions.

Dalton concentrates his law practice on intellectual property litigation, including trademark, copyright, trade secret, antitrust, and unfair competition matters. At Crowell, he has represented plaintiffs and defendants with diverse federal litigation needs, ranging from prompt cease and desist coordination, complex software discovery disputes, multi-party depositions, and successful preliminary injunction motions and settlement conferences. Dalton’s counseling practice includes prosecuting trademarks, registering copyrights, enforcing global trademark portfolios, and counseling clients on intellectual property due diligence transactions. He also maintains a varied pro bono docket, including representing tenants in leasing disputes, enforcing international nonprofit trademark rights, and assisting independent musicians with registering their copyrights.

Within the firm, Dalton co-leads the Metaverse specialty group and is a member of the Artificial Intelligence working group, advising internal teams and clients on new intellectual property developments within virtual reality branding. He is active in the new media industry, including the Esports Bar Association.

Previously, Dalton externed for the Honorable Joan H. Lefkow at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. His intellectual property experience comes from a broad background in the media, tech, and entertainment industries. This experience includes copyright and royalty management at a leading global music publishing label, brand development, consumer survey research, contract administration, app development, and computer support. Outside work, Dalton is active in the Chicago arts community, serving on the associate boards of local theaters. A Nashville native, Dalton began practicing in Chicago after attending the University of Illinois College of Law in Champaign-Urbana, where he was on the leadership boards for the Sports & Entertainment Law Society and the Intellectual Property Law Society, as well as a Managing Editor of the University of Illinois Law Review.

Career & Education

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    • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
      Legal Extern for the Honorable Joan H. Lefkow, 2018
    • Sony/ATV Music Publishing
      Global Copyright Coordinator, 2016–2017
    • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
      Legal Extern for the Honorable Joan H. Lefkow, 2018
    • Sony/ATV Music Publishing
      Global Copyright Coordinator, 2016–2017
    • Belmont University, B.S., cum laude, Entertainment Industry Studies, 2016
    • University of Illinois College of Law, J.D., magna cum laude, 2020
    • Belmont University, B.S., cum laude, Entertainment Industry Studies, 2016
    • University of Illinois College of Law, J.D., magna cum laude, 2020
    • Illinois
    • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
    • Illinois
    • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
  • Professional Activities and Memberships

    • Chicago Bar Association, Member
    • Esports Bar Association, Member
    • Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago, Member
    • Lawyers for the Creative Arts, Associate Board Member
    • Public Interest Law Initiative, Member
    • Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Association, Member
    • North American Vexillological Association, Member

    Professional Activities and Memberships

    • Chicago Bar Association, Member
    • Esports Bar Association, Member
    • Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago, Member
    • Lawyers for the Creative Arts, Associate Board Member
    • Public Interest Law Initiative, Member
    • Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Association, Member
    • North American Vexillological Association, Member

Dalton's Insights

Client Alert | 4 min read | 06.25.24

Major American Music Labels Sue Generative AI Music Platforms in First Case of Its Kind Over AI Audio

Universal Music Group, Sony Music, and Warner Music Group., represented by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), have sued online music AI generators, Suno AI (“Suno”) and Udio AI (“Udio”), for alleged copyright infringement, accusing them of replicating their artists’ music using AI technology. The Suno complaint is filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, and the Udio complaint is filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.  The lawsuits also target Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company. The RIAA is asking for damages amounting to up to $150,000 per infringing song, which could amount to hundreds of millions of dollars. ...

Recognition

  • CALI Awards for Highest Grade in: Advanced Legal Research; Traditional Knowledge & Folklore in Intellectual Property
  • University of Illinois College of Law: Pro Bono Notation 

Dalton's Insights

Client Alert | 4 min read | 06.25.24

Major American Music Labels Sue Generative AI Music Platforms in First Case of Its Kind Over AI Audio

Universal Music Group, Sony Music, and Warner Music Group., represented by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), have sued online music AI generators, Suno AI (“Suno”) and Udio AI (“Udio”), for alleged copyright infringement, accusing them of replicating their artists’ music using AI technology. The Suno complaint is filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, and the Udio complaint is filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.  The lawsuits also target Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company. The RIAA is asking for damages amounting to up to $150,000 per infringing song, which could amount to hundreds of millions of dollars. ...

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Dalton's Insights

Client Alert | 4 min read | 06.25.24

Major American Music Labels Sue Generative AI Music Platforms in First Case of Its Kind Over AI Audio

Universal Music Group, Sony Music, and Warner Music Group., represented by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), have sued online music AI generators, Suno AI (“Suno”) and Udio AI (“Udio”), for alleged copyright infringement, accusing them of replicating their artists’ music using AI technology. The Suno complaint is filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, and the Udio complaint is filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.  The lawsuits also target Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company. The RIAA is asking for damages amounting to up to $150,000 per infringing song, which could amount to hundreds of millions of dollars. ...