Buck McKinney an intellectual property and entertainment lawyer with more than 30 years of experience helping creators, rights-holders, and creative businesses protect, monetize, and enforce their work. His practice blends deal-making, strategic counsel, and litigation, with a focus on copyright, trademark, licensing, and related business disputes—from negotiating key agreements to pursuing enforcement in court when necessary.

McKinney built and led a successful entertainment/IP law practice for more than two decades before joining Austin-based Amini & Conant in 2022, where he led the Entertainment and Intellectual Property section until 2026. In 2026, McKinney resumed his practice, bringing the combined perspective of long-term independent counsel and firm leadership to every matter.

McKinney’s clients have included EMI Music, Universal Music Group, ACL Live, The Long Center for the Performing Arts, Waterloo Amphitheater, Transmission Entertainment, Does Entertainment, Crush Management, August Images, Creative Photographers, Inc., Vertigo Artography, the Texas Heritage Songwriters Association, Armadillo World Headquarters, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre, among others.

Early in his career, McKinney served as Staff Counsel in Business & Legal Affairs at A&M Records (a division of PolyGram International), where he negotiated recording, licensing, and related agreements for A&M and affiliated labels including Polydor, 1500, Rocket, DV8, and Perspective. McKinney also brings an operator’s perspective––having co-owned and operated Rockefeller’s, a world-famous Houston live music venue and concert production company where he produced more than 340 concerts.

A frequent lecturer and published author on copyright issues, McKinney has spoken at conventions and seminars nationwide and has served as an adjunct professor of entertainment law at Austin Community College, and guest lecturer at University of Texas Law School. He earned his B.A. and J.D. from The University of Texas, graduating magna cum laude with special honors in History. McKinney is licensed in Texas state and federal courts and the Fifth Circuit, is a former board member of The Long Center for the Performing Arts, is a voting member of NARAS (The Recording Academy), and is a published songwriter affiliated with BMI. He is also performs regularly with his musical group Flyjack.

REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE

Deals & Rights Recovery

• Negotiated one of the earliest reality-television series agreements for VH1’s Bands on the Run.

• Secured the return of an award-winning country music artist’s master recordings from a former record company.

• Defended an independent label’s ownership and exploitation rights in master recordings against claims asserted by a Grammy-winning, multi-platinum recording artist.

Live Events & Venues

• Represented concert promoter in a dispute arising from a cancelled festival, obtaining injunctive relief and remuneration.

• Served (and serves) as outside counsel to world-class music venues and a range of live-event businesses, including concert promoters, venue management companies, caterers, sponsorship brokers, and ticketing companies—advising on contracting, operations, and risk management.

Copyright, Trademark & Brand Enforcement

• Enforced an arts collective’s copyrights against one of the world’s largest candy manufacturers.

• Led 100+ copyright infringement matters—including scores of federal cases for visual artists, record companies and other rights holders—recovering millions of dollars for clients.

• Successfully prosecuted high-value counterfeiting and trademark claims on behalf of an iconic, globally recognized horror franchise, obtaining injunctive relief and significant damages.

Representative matters are illustrative. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.