Pryor Cashman Partners Named Among Billboard's 2020 Top Music Lawyers
Partners Ilene Farkas, Donald Zakarin, and James Sammataro have been listed among Billboard's 2020 Top Music Lawyers.
Listed in the 'Talent and Litigation' section, the Pryor Cashman team is lauded for a wide variety of legal work for multiple levels of the music industry. As noted in Billboard:
Ilene Farkas
Partner, Pryor Cashman
Fordham University School of LawJames Sammataro
Partner, Pryor Cashman
Duke University School of LawDonald Zakarin
Partner, Pryor Cashman
New York University School of LawSammataro, 46, an in-demand litigator in Latin music, is representing Luis Fonsi and Universal Music Group in a copyright infringement claim related to the megahit "Despacito," and he secured a dismissal of an infringement claim against Warner Music and Sony Latin involving the musical works of Tito El Bambino. He co-represents Chris Cornell's estate and widow Vicky Cornell in a federal suit over the rights to the last audio recordings composed by Cornell, which members of Soundgarden claim are the band's final album. Farkas and Zakarin are advising Ed Sheeran, Sony/ATV and Atlantic Records in the claim that Sheeran's song "Thinking Out Loud" infringes on the copyright of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On." Pryor Cashman, led by Zakarin, represented the National Music Publishers' Association and Nashville Songwriters Association International in their successful bid to have the Copyright Royalty Board boost mechanical royalty rates for the five-year period from 2018 to 2022. (Spotify and Amazon are still appealing the rate hikes.)
More About the Media & Entertainment Group
For more than 50 years, Pryor Cashman has counseled entertainment industry clients on the complexities and legal challenges that arise when producing, financing, distributing, protecting, and optimizing the value of creative content. We have fostered long-standing relationships with key players in every area of the entertainment industry and have developed a keen understanding of the business realities of parties on both sides of the content equation.
Pryor Cashman’s Media & Entertainment Group provides multidisciplinary counsel for the wide-ranging needs of industry clients and their diverse projects.
