Leveraging the combined the bench strength of its Los Angeles and Miami locations, the experienced team of copyright music and entertainment industry specialists at New York-based firm Pryor Cashman LLP advise celebrities, brands, artists, and influencers on the management of their copyright assets and the safeguarding of them through high-stakes litigation. The practice is headed by Frank Scibilia, an experienced litigator who brings strength to acting for music publishers and record labels on transactional work, enforcement, due diligence, and rights clearance, and Ilene Farkas, who was promoted to practice leader in January 2024, and who advises artists, songwriters, and producers on music industry disputes and DMCA safe harbor defenses. Donald Zakarin and James Sammataro, who works at the Florida office, bring strength to infringement litigation and matters involving secondary liability. Ben Semel brings strength to litigation over music royalties and whose clients include Warner Music Group and the National Music Publishers’ Association. Key support is provided by Brian Maida. Unless noted, all lawyers mentioned work in New York.
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The team is highly skilled and used to managing international clients and explaining how to strategize in a US law environment.'
‘Ilene Farkas has an aura of seniority and trustworthiness, combined with world-class knowledge.'
Key clients
- Ed Sheeran
- Sony Music
Work highlights
- Successfully represented singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, Warner Music Group, Sony Music Publishing, and others in a music copyright jury trial in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
- Successfully represented the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) and Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) and their music publisher and songwriter constituents in the successful ruling by the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) in the Phonorecords III matter to increase royalty rates by nearly 44% to songwriters and music publishers from interactive streaming and limited download services such as Google, Apple, Amazon, Spotify, and Pandora, for the years 2018-2022, and to achieve an even further increase in rates for the years 2023-2027 in Phonorecords IV.