ByteDance has hired former Warner Bros legal chief John Rogovin as its global general counsel replacing Erich Andersen, who took on a new role as a special counsel.
The legal veteran in the entertainment sector joined ByteDance on 1 June and oversees the legal matters of its subsidiary, TikTok.
Rogovin was the former executive vice president and general counsel of Warner Bros and WarnerMedia from 2008. He left when WarnerMedia merged with Discovery in 2022.
Rogovin was responsible for offering global legal support for Warner Bros, including intellectual property, litigation, privacy, compliance, regulatory enforcement and M&A.
The entertainment legal veteran also spent about seven years working for the US government. He was a deputy assistant attorney general for the Department of Justice in 1993. After three years, he switched paths and became a partner in O’Melveny.
Rogovin returned to public service in 2001, and joined the US Federal Communications Commission as general counsel. He joined WilmerHale as a partner in 2005, before beginning his journey at Warner Bros.
“Over the last few years, we have worked tirelessly to build trust and navigate unprecedented legal and regulatory environments globally,” said Shou Chew, TikTok’s CEO.
“Building upon the strong foundation of our global legal team, I know John is eager to hit the ground running during this important time for the company.”
Rogovin joined ByteDance amid the US attempt to force the tech company to sell TikTok, or else the video-sharing platform will be banned by January.
Covington & Burling and Mayer Brown represented ByteDance and TikTok to file a petition last month, accusing the US move of violating the first amendment of the US Constitution, which upholds freedom of speech. The lawsuit will be heard in September.
Read the related articles here:
Covington and Mayer Brown defend TikTok from US ban
Seven partners from Covington & Burling and Mayer Brown are countering Washington’s move against TikTok and its parent company ByteDance that is forcing the social media platform to be sold or face a ban
TikTok’s general counsel steps down to fight US ban
Erich Andersen, general counsel of TikTok and its parent company ByteDance, will step down in June to take on special counsel dedicated to fighting legislation in the US that would ban the short video app used by 170 million Americans
For more stories about TikTok, visit law.asia.
