Overview
Jonathan has more than 40 years of experience working on litigation, licensing, and counseling matters in copyright, trademark, unfair competition, and right of publicity law, particularly for clients in the entertainment industry. A major aspect of his practice involves the protection, defense, enforcement, licensing, and exploitation of rights vested in fictional and animated characters. He also possesses a breadth of knowledge regarding name, image, and likeness (NIL) statutes, as well as the application of intellectual property law—particularly copyright—to artificial intelligence (AI). According to Legal 500, Jon “is a superb trademark and copyright litigator” with “excellent insights” who “is sensitive to his clients’ needs and highly commercial in his approach” (2024). And World Trademark Review 1000 has called him “a leading litigant, counsellor and licensing maven for clients in the entertainment industry” (2024) and highlighted his specific experience “in protecting rights related to fictional characters” (2016).
Jonathan has handled complex IP issues concerning such characters and properties as Spider-Man, X-Men, Superman, Batman, Barbie, Peanuts, Strawberry Shortcake, Babar the Elephant, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teletubbies, The Berenstain Bears, Inspector Gadget, Franklin The Turtle, Raggedy Ann and Andy, Mr. Bill, and The Woodstock Festivals. His work includes advising on trademark and copyright matters both in the context of traditional goods and services and in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), as well as for use in the metaverse.
Jonathan also represents the estates of well-known entertainers, authors, and artists. He has handled copyright, right of publicity, NIL, and trademark matters for such estates as Joseph Campbell, Mary McCarthy, Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Rube Goldberg, W.C. Fields, and Abbott & Costello. In 2014, he served as an advisor to the New Jersey State Senate in connection with Senate Bill No. S2212 (The Commercial Identity Protect Act).
For many years, Jonathan served as a member of the Advisory Board of Bloomberg BNA’s Patent, Trademark, and Copyright Journal. He is currently on the Advisory Board of The Licensing Journal. He has written on copyright, trademark, and publicity law topics, and lectured for such organizations as The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Columbia University School of Law, Columbia University School of Fine Arts, New York Film Academy, The New School for Social Research, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, and the Institute for International Research. He has taught entertainment licensing as an adjunct professor at New York Law School and been interviewed by such prominent media outlets as The New York Times, Dateline NBC, and New York Newsday. He was a regular commentator on copyright and trademark law topics for the NPR radio program “Soundcheck.”
Accolades
Honors & Recognitions
- Recognized as a Trademark Star in the IP STARS Handbook (2022-2024), Managing Intellectual Property
- Recommended for Trademarks: Non-Contentious (2020-2021, 2023-2024), Trademarks: Litigation (2020, 2024), and Copyright (2014-2019), Legal 500 United States
- Recognized as a Leading Trademark Professional in Enforcement & Litigation and Prosecution & Strategy in New York (2015, 2018-2024), World Trademark Review 1000
- Recognized as a Leader in Intellectual Property: Trademark, Copyright & Trade Secrets in New York (2014, 2016-2019), Chambers USA
- Recognized as a Best Lawyer for Copyright Law (2012-2024), The Best Lawyers in America
- Recognized as a Super Lawyer for Intellectual Property (2006-2024), The New York Times Magazine / New York Super Lawyers
- Recognized as a “Local Litigation Star” in New York (2012, 2014), Benchmark Plaintiff
Affiliations
Professional
- Member and former Trustee, Copyright Society of the U.S.A.
- Member, Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Committee, New York State Bar Association
- Advisory Board, Bloomberg BNA's The Licensing Journal
Insights
Legal Updates
Events & Speaking Engagements
Publications
Blog Posts
News
Education
JD, Stanford Law School, 1980
BA, Haverford College, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, 1977
Admissions
New York
Courts
US Supreme Court
US Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
US Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
US District Court, Eastern District of New York
US District Court, Southern District of New York
