Practices
- LITIGATION
- Alternative Dispute Resolution (Arbitration and Mediation)
- Anti-Counterfeiting
- Antitrust and Trade Regulation
- Appeals
- Art and Museum Law
- Class Action Defense
- Complex Contract and Commercial Litigation
- Contested Administrative Proceedings and Litigation: Banking
- Criminal, White Collar, Administrative, Enforcement and Regulatory Defense
- Entertainment Litigation
- False Advertising
- Intellectual Property, Copyright and Trademark Litigation
- Internet and E-Commerce Law
- Music Litigation
- Privacy and Defamation
- Real Estate Litigation
- Regulatory, Corporate Compliance and Internal Investigations
- Restrictive Covenants, Trade Secrets and Duty of Loyalty
- Securities Litigation
- Trade Secret Litigation
- Trusts and Estates: Litigation
- ENTERTAINMENT, MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS
- Anti-Counterfeiting
- Art and Museum Law
- Celebrity Branding
- Copyright
- Entertainment Litigation
- Intellectual Property, Copyright and Trademark Litigation
- Internet and E-Commerce Law
- Motion Picture and Television Talent
- Motion Picture, Corporate Media and Entertainment
- Music
- Music Litigation
- Privacy and Defamation
- Publishing
- Sports
- Theater
- Trademark
- INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
- Anti-Counterfeiting
- Art and Museum Law
- Celebrity Branding
- Copyright
- Entertainment Litigation
- False Advertising
- Intellectual Property, Copyright and Trademark Litigation
- Internet and E-Commerce Law
- Licensing
- Life Sciences
- Music
- Music Litigation
- Publishing
- Technology
- Theater
- Trade Secret Litigation
- Trademark
- DIGITAL MEDIA
Education
- J.D., Columbia University School of Law, 1998
- B.A., Brown University, 1992
Bar Admissions
- New York (1999)
- U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York (1999)
News
- Pryor Cashman's Johnson, Klaiber, Semel and Delligner Author Legal Update: “International Trade Commission Proposes New E-Discovery Rules for Patent Cases”
- Pryor Cashman Represents Citizens Financial Group, Inc. in Major Patent Litigation Relating to Online Banking
- Pryor Cashman Announces New Partner and Elevates Four to Of Counsel
Publications
Languages
- French
- Spanish
Attorneys
Benjamin Semel
Of Counselbsemel@pryorcashman.com
New York, NY 10036-6569
Benjamin Semel is Of Counsel in Pryor Cashman’s Litigation Group. He handles cases in federal and state trial and appeals courts, as well as arbitrations and mediations before numerous agencies, including AAA and its international affiliate ICDR, JAMS, FINRA and others.
Ben has a broad experience in intellectual property matters, including trademark and trade secret protection, copyrights in film, television, music, software, literature and architectural works, idea theft, and rights of publicity and privacy. He also has an active practice in technology law, managing issues for software, Internet, new media and emerging technology companies.
Beyond IP matters, Ben litigates domestic and international commercial cases in a variety of areas, including contracts, fraud, defamation, real estate, securities, corporate governance and shareholder claims. His matters have involved procedural issues including the scope of eDiscovery, jurisdiction, choice of law, enforcement of foreign judgments and the interplay of international law. Ben has taken cases through jury and bench trials, including Stone v. C.R. Bard Inc. (S.D.N.Y.) where he and partner Jamie Brickell obtained a $58 million verdict for the plaintiffs in a breach of contract and fraud dispute over the sale of a medical program for the treatment of prostate cancer.
After graduating from Brown University as a triple major, Ben wrote for the daily newspaper and worked in jazz radio in New Orleans before moving to law. He graduated in 1998 from Columbia University School of Law as a Kent Scholar, the highest academic honor awarded, and received the Class of 1912 Prize, given to the single top student in the field of contracts.
Ben has combined his legal career with extensive international travel, spending five years on sabbatical from his native New York City, journeying across over 100 nations, engaged in teaching, managing NGOs, disaster relief, and conservation and animal welfare projects, along with eating some extremely unusual dishes.
Publications
- Co-Author (with Jeffrey Johnson and James Klaiber), International Trade Commission Proposes New E-Discovery Rules for Patent Cases, Pryor Cashman Legal Update (October 2012)
- Author, Webcasting and Copyright Law: How the Legal Framework May Be Changing e-Commerce Law & Strategy, e-Commerce Law & Strategy (2002)
- Author, Sorting Out the State of Music File-Swapping Online After Napster, e-Commerce Law & Strategy (2001)
- Author, Combating Online Infringement Post-Napster, New Jersey Law Journal (2001)
- Author, The Challenge of the New Media for Entertainment Practitioners: An Encouraging Primer, Nevada Lawyer (2000)
Speaking Engagements
- Panelist, Impact of New Technologies on Entertainment Law, New York City Bar CLE (2003)
- Panelist, Hollywood Heat primetime program, Expert, Court TV, legal expert on music piracy (2003)
Teaching Positions
- Columbia University School of Law, Profession of Law course (2004)
Distinctions
- Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (VLA) Outstanding Volunteer Award (2003)
Professional Affiliations
- New York State Bar Association, Member
