Pryor Cashman Partner Andrew M. Goldsmith, a member of the Litigation Group, has been named a 2024 Rising Star in Media & Entertainment by Law360.

Andrew is one of only 158 attorneys across the country, and one of five in the Media & Entertainment category, recognized by Law360 as a top attorney under 40.

He was part of the award-winning team that represented Ed Sheeran, Atlantic Records, and Sony Music Publishing in a landmark copyright jury trial victory, defeating the claim that the hit song “Thinking Out Loud” infringed “Let’s Get It On,” written by Ed Townsend and Marvin Gaye. When asked about the case by Law360, Andrew explained that:

Part of the challenge was that "the plaintiffs kept changing their theory of the case, in terms of what they were claiming was similar between the two songs," Goldsmith said. "It was difficult to know how to meet their proof because what they were intending to argue was changing all the time."

In Andrew’s wide-ranging practice, he has successfully defended numerous copyright infringement actions, regularly representing major record companies and music publishers, as well as chart-topping recording artists and songwriters. He also works on behalf of plaintiffs seeking to vindicate their common law and federal trademark rights in federal court.

When asked why he’s an entertainment lawyer:

"When I was younger I briefly flirted with a career in music, and I briefly worked in Hollywood, and thought about a career as a writer," Goldsmith said. "I've always been passionate about creating things, and I especially identify with authors when they're accused of plagiarism because I know how upsetting that would be to me."

He also talked about how his clients motivate his work:

"When you're representing a client being accused of plagiarism, it's always personal to them, especially authors," Goldsmith said. "For the Sheeran trial, it was very palpable how upset Ed was by even the allegation, because even the allegation is a permanent smear."

Goldsmith said he was driven to vindicate his clients’ “name, their artwork and creation, as being theirs and not copied."

"You see how important it is to the artist and that really is a tremendous motivating factor," Goldsmith said. "For the artist, it's their career, it's their livelihood, it's their way to make a living. When they're accused of something they didn't do, it affects their reputation."

Read Andrew’s profile and see the full list of 2024 Rising Stars using the links below.