Chris Ellis Jr. – Paramount Global

To be a good lawyer for Apple, one doesn’t have to be a tech wizard, and to be a good lawyer for the National Football League, one doesn’t have to be a football fanatic.

To be a good lawyer for a leading global media, streaming and entertainment company like Paramount Global, one doesn’t need to know everything about TV and film. But it doesn’t hurt. Just ask Chris Ellis Jr.

Chris Ellis Jr. | Paramount Global | VP Counsel, Content Protection

“That I’ve been a fan of these shows and movies helps me when I’m enforcing copyrights, trademarks and protecting our intellectual property,” he says. “I’ve seen so much of our content. It makes everything more fun and interesting.”

As the VP counsel for content protection, Ellis Jr. can be described as a vigilant protector of creative works and the guardian of the company’s intellectual property rights. From his roots in Maryland to his current home in New Jersey, Ellis Jr.’s journey is marked by his relentless drive and passion for media and entertainment law.

Protecting the IP

Operating out of the company’s Manhattan office twice a week, Ellis Jr. has been at the frontline of a constantly evolving legal landscape for over a decade. He started his career at Paramount Global in 2011, focusing on chasing down YouTube videos and illegal DVD and Blu-ray sales. Today, the battleground has shifted dramatically, with content instantly streamable online.

“We’ve had to adapt to rapid technological advancements,” Ellis Jr. tells Vanguard during an interview from his New Jersey home in July. “This industry is always changing, and as professionals, we must stay a step ahead.”

Ellis Jr.’s work primarily focuses on dealing with content infringements. He says he and his colleagues receive requests to take down infringed content, and Ellis Jr. and the Content Protection team tackle each request promptly. However, the job is more than just being reactive.

“It’s about being proactive and making a considerable effort to gather data and build relationships with social platforms, web hosts, and ISPs to ensure swift removal of unauthorized content,” Ellis Jr. says.

Modern-day piracy is akin to a high-stakes game of whack-a-mole, Ellis Jr. explains. There are more pirates in the world than there are police, which means companies like Paramount Global need people like Ellis Jr. to put forth the effort to stay ahead of the cheaters.

“We want to enforce our intellectual property as much as possible,” he says. “But we cannot do it alone—and we’re not alone in this battle.”

Paramount Global partners with vendors to protect their live stream and on-demand content from piracy. Utilizing strategic enforcement plans, trend analysis, and escalation tactics, the access points for pirated content are reduced. This multifaceted approach has helped Paramount tackle online content piracy by removing and suppressing infringing sources.

As a member of the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, or ACE, the Motion Picture Association’s anti-piracy enforcement arm, Ellis Jr. and the team collaborate with other media companies to tackle repeat infringers through a multi-lateral approach.

“We’ll send leads to ACE, and they determine the most crucial cases from a criminal and civil litigation perspective. The shift toward more criminal prosecutions has proven to be an effective deterrent over time,” he says.

Loving entertainment

Ellis Jr. says he always saw himself working in the entertainment industry, and he participated in performing arts programs in elementary, middle and high school. He says his early career goal was ambitious.

“I wanted to go to college and win an Oscar,” he recalls. “But while working as a freelancer in TV and film, I realized it wasn’t for me.”

Ellis Jr.’s professional journey started while earning a degree in television and film from St. John’s University in Queens, New York. He is currently pursing a master’s degree in systematic theology from Seton Hall University.

While working full-time at CBS News, including as a broadcast associate on a series for the Cooking Channel, Ellis Jr. studied law at night, ultimately earning a J.D. from Rutgers Law School. He spent over three years as a coordinator for intellectual property enforcement and almost three years as an associate for the Nissenbaum Law Group before rejoining Paramount in March 2018 as intellectual property counsel. He rose to his current role in May 2022.

“I have been a big fan of Nickelodeon and always wanted to work for the company that owns Nick,” Ellis Jr. says. “Luckily, I had a good boss during my early days at CBS who mentored me and kept in touch.”

Having mentors has been a big part of Ellis Jr.’s career success and his rise through the company. Mentorship and diversity are two cornerstones of his professional ethos, and he regularly takes part in Zoom calls with young attorneys and mentees from Rutgers University. As an alumnus of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, Ellis Jr. values giving back to the legal community.

Diverse perspectives enhance the stories told on screen and the solutions devised in the legal arena, he says. Varied backgrounds and experiences are important in fostering an inclusive culture at Paramount Global and a more inclusive entertainment industry.

As Ellis Jr. continues to navigate the ever-changing landscape of content protection, his influence ensures that Paramount Global’s creative legacy remains secure for future generations.

“My children are reaching an age where they are watching more Nickelodeon content and even enjoying some of the same shows I grew up watching. It’s an amazing experience to be part of a company that can bring generations together, and I’m proud to help protect that. Even if the coolest thing my kids think about me is that I work with SpongeBob,” he says.