LUTZKER & LUTZKER - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Senior Partner
• Copyright Defense to Complaints about Distance Learning in a COVID - 19 Era
• EDUCATION / Harvard Law School

Susan and I have just returned from a productive and wonderful week in Italy. The purpose of our trip was to attend the European summit of the International Network of Boutique Law Firms (INBLF), of which I am a Board member as well as national secretary and president of the DC Chapter. In addition to the formal program, which focused on the continuing development of specialized pract I am currently teaching a month-long distance learning course for the Center for Intellectual Property Management of University of Maryland's University College entitled "Copyright, Photos, Video, Art & Multimedia." The goal of the course is to provide an understanding of how to legally and ethically create and use multimedia in the digital environment. The course will in Susan and I had a wonderful week in Turkey. Our purpose in going to Istanbul (our fourth trip to this city we love) was to attend the European summit of the International Network of Boutique Law Firms (INBLF), of which I am a Board member as well as president of our local chapter. The group included members we had met at the Toronto annual meeting in October, at prior annual meetings, I recently had the opportunity to be the featured presenter for the University of Maryland's Center for Intellectual Property Online Certification Course in Copyright. As context for a discussion of DMCA issues currently in the news and before the courts, I described the origins of the law and my personal role as one of the lead negotiators for the legislation. I also discussed t As Washington braced for another mega-snowstorm, I attended a meeting at the Copyright Office concerning ongoing plans to bring the semi-annual filings of Cable Statements of Account (SOA) into the digital age. Since 1978 thousands of cable systems have twice annually filed reports and paid fees in order to qualify for the compulsory license, which is spelled out in Section 111 of th

Job Titles:

• Partner
• EDUCATION / the George Washington University Law School
• the DMCA Subpoena Process: an Underutilized Tool for Identifying Anonymous Infringers

Ben Sternberg's practice focuses on copyright, trademark, trade secret and entertainment matters. Ben has handled numerous complex litigation matters in federal and state courts and in proceedings before the Copyright Royalty Board and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. He also has extensive experience counseling established businesses and start-up companies on how to secure, safeguard and leverage their intellectual property assets and reduce their exposure to intellectual property litigation. In addition to his IP practice, Ben regularly advises nonprofit organizations on corporate and tax exemption issues affecting their formation, operation, and dissolution. Ben began his affiliation with Lutzker & Lutzker as a law clerk during his second year at the George Washington University Law School. Prior to joining Lutzker & Lutzker, Ben served as a law clerk for the Litigation, Contract/Rights and Broadcast Sections of CBS Corporation's in-house law department. He also worked as a litigation paralegal at the firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. AREAS OF EXPERTISE Copyright Law Trademarks and Brand Protection Internet and Social Media Privacy, Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity Entertainment, Culture and the Arts Nonprofit Organizations In October, I attended the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Bar Association Forum on the Entertainment and Sport Industries. The Annual Meeting, which was held at the Ritz-Carlton in New York City, was a wonderful opportunity to connect with practitioners from around the world and discuss cutting-edge legal issues and market trends. The Annual Meeting offered instructive skills w

Job Titles:

• Designer

Job Titles:

• Senior Counsel
• EDUCATION
• Law Professor, Founder

For the first time in over 20 years, on January 1, 2019, US copyrighted works entered the public domain due to the expiration of their copyright term. Going forward, more works will now enter the public domain annually. The expiration of copyright for works published in 1923 means that everyone may use these materials, for education, for research, or for creative endeavors - whether On September 12, 2018, the European Parliament took a first, but crucial, step in adopting sweeping changes to copyright law on the Internet in the European Union. The vote on this copyright directive pitted media companies who hold the copyright to music and news content against technology platforms such as Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook. In this round the media companies were the

Job Titles:

• INBLF President

Former President Donald J. Trump and his children are no strangers to branding the family name for profit. In his post-presidential days, the value of the Trump name remains to be seen, but he has wasted no time testing the waters with political branding. It has been widely anticipated that Trump will launch his own media company to compete with Fox News and other right-wing media o

Job Titles:

• Associate
• EDUCATION / the George Washington University Law School

Ethan has quickly become indispensable to the firm's copyright and trademark practice, both in matters of prosecution and litigation. He also advises both content creators and website owners on issues involving online uses of copyrighted materials, especially images, and provides enforcement assistance where appropriate. Ethan's experience in the field of K-12 education as an Academic Operations Manager at Bushwick Ascend Middle School in Brooklyn, New York from 2015-17 has also given him a valuable perspective on issues of privacy and technology in the classroom, which have become an increased focus of the firm since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ethan began his affiliation with Lutzker & Lutzker as a law clerk during his second year at the George Washington University Law School. Prior to joining Lutzker & Lutzker, in addition to his experience in education, Ethan worked as a legal assistant for the firms McDermott, Will & Emery and Sendroff & Baruch LLP and a summer associate with Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts in New York. In his spare time, Ethan is a musician, so he enjoys delving into complex music copyright issues.

Job Titles:

• Partner

Job Titles:

• Facebook Founder and CEO

Job Titles:

• Italian Artist

Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, known for his satirical sculptures, has found himself in the unique position of being a defendant in unrelated copyright suits on both sides of the Atlantic.

Job Titles:

• Artist

Richard Prince is a controversial artist known for appropriating third party images. Prince initially drew criticism in the 1980s when he took a photograph of a Marlboro advertisement and simply removed the word "Marlboro" from the picture. One of Prince's appropriated Marlboro pieces earned him more than a million dollars in 2005 and another earned him more than $3 million in [ ... ]

Job Titles:

• Senior Partner
• Artificial Intelligence and Historical Research: Unlocking Ancient Secrets
• Artists Use Their Media to Voice Concerns about Privacy Intrusions
• EDUCATION / Georgetown University Law Center
• Entertainment, Culture and the Arts
• Free the Australian Aboriginal Flag: What Are the Limits of Implied Covenants of Fair Dealing in Copyright Licensing
• If You Think You Are Insured Against Copyright and Trademark Infringement Claims, Look Again
• Internet and Social Media Privacy, Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity
• Privacy, Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity
• Promising Developments in Protecting Intangible Cultural Property
• Refreshing Your Website: Overlook the Legal Details at Your Peril
• Summer Camp IP and Other Policies Require Revisions With Move to Online Space
• the Pandemic: Copyright 's Role in the Switch to Distance Education and Online Learning at Home

Susan enjoys helping entrepreneurs and creative professionals develop and grow their businesses. Through involvement with the SelectUSA program of the U.S. Department of Commerce, she works with foreign investors interested in expanding into the U.S. market. She also uses her understanding of the nonprofit environment from her years at the National Trust for Historic Preservation to provide a full range of legal services to nonprofit clients, including helping them balance tax-exempt entity constraints with the need to create new revenue sources, manage risks and improve the quality of governance. Susan has played a leadership role in INBLF (International Network of Boutique & Independent Law Firms), managing the organization's participation in the SelectUSA Investment Summit (2016-2019) and in SelectUSA Road Shows in Brazil and the Nordic Region, and in forging relationships with Commercial Service staff in U.S. embassies around the world. As a director and officer of the Cultural Treasures Foundation, she is instrumental in developing educational programs on topics of cultural importance and creating links with other cultural organizations in D.C. As Secretary and Board member of Young Artists of America, she helps oversee the innovative, diverse programming of a world-class theater organization. Susan has a special interest in, and frequently writes about, the legal and practical challenges of preserving the cultural heritage of indigenous people around the world. Prior to establishing Lutzker & Lutzker with her husband, Arnold Lutzker, Susan spent twenty years as in-house attorney at the headquarters of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a federally-chartered nonprofit organization charged with mobilizing and leading the private preservation movement in the United States. She represented the National Trust in helping to finance complex projects designed to rehabilitate historic communities and landmark properties and build cultural pride, often in blighted inner-city neighborhoods. Her early legal practice was with Lane and Edson, P.C., where she worked on novel tax issues involving the syndication of low-income housing, a skill later used at the National Trust to support the Trust's participation in rehabilitation projects utilizing the historic preservation and low-income tax credits. Arnie and I had the pleasure of attending the European summit of the International Network of Boutique Law Firms in London in May. About 30 participants from 17 countries enjoyed the hospitality of the host firm, Rawlison Butler, which arranged a very full weekend of business meetings and cultural events. Similar to what we did a few months before in India, the U. As the finale to the DC Black Tie weekend in October 2014, a group of INBLF lawyers were admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court in a courtroom ceremony. Arnie Lutzker moved the admission of the group before all nine justices. To commemorate the occasion, the group commissioned courtroom artist Dana Verkouteren to create a sketch of the swearing-in. The group surprised the Lutzkers w [ ... ] Arnie and I along with INBLF president Charles Kagay and DC INBLF colleague John Quinn applied for and were accepted to the second SelectUSA Summit, which was held March 23 and March 24 just outside Washington DC. The summit brought together more than 2500 people - investors from all over the world, economic development organizations from around the U.S., high-level government offi Arnie and I had the pleasure of attending the Asian summit of the International Network of Boutique Law Firms in Delhi, India in late February. The host firm, Advaya Legal, spared nothing in providing not only a meaningful program on doing business in India, but a most gracious and jam-packed introduction to Indian culture, including tours of Old and New Delhi, dinner at Indian Accent The DC Chapter of the International Network of Boutique Law Firms (INBLF) hosted the organization's 11th annual black tie weekend in October. Arnie is the DC chapter president, as well as treasurer and a board member of the national organization, and we took a lead role in the organization of the weekend. The highlight was a black tie dinner, attended by 185 persons, at the U.S. Sup Arnie and I had the pleasure of attending the European summit of the International Network of Boutique Law Firms in Barcelona in June. In addition to a formal program featuring practice group meetings, the host firm, Pintó, Ruiz & del Valle, organized marvelous events, including a tour of the Gothic center of the city, a reception in their lovely offices, and a tour and lunch at In October Arnie and I attended the annual conference of the International Network of Boutique Law Firms (INBLF) at the beautiful Terranea Resort on the Pacific coast in Orange County, California. At the concluding gala, Arnie was surprised (all the more so because he was asked to read the plaque) to receive the Larry Koltun Memorial Award, given each year to the INBLF member who most [ ... ]

Job Titles:

• of Counsel
• EDUCATION / Cleveland - Marshall College of Law

After graduating from engineering school at Youngstown State University, Tom Peterson worked for three years as an electronics engineer at the Packard Electric Division of General Motors Corporation. The experiences gained as a working engineer made him well suited for a legal career advising clients on technology issues, especially patent protection and technology licensing. After graduating from law school, Tom worked for a year at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a patent examiner before entering private practice. He has been in private practice for more than 30 years and counsels clients in a wide range of intellectual property law matters. He has represented numerous Fortune 500 companies, including Toshiba Corporation, Scientific-Atlanta, Georgia-Pacific, Nike and Bell Atlantic (now Verizon). He has successfully prepared and prosecuted hundreds of patent applications before the U.S. and foreign patent offices, been engaged in numerous contested proceedings involving intellectual property matters and has assisted clients in negotiating and concluding many technology transfer agreements. In addition to practicing law, Tom has been an active participant in teaching and lecturing on IP law issues. He has served as an adjunct professor of law at The Howard University School of Law and at The George Mason University School of Law. He also teaches business law courses as an adjunct professor at Northern Virginia Community College. He has given numerous talks and has participated in many panel discussions before law and business groups related to various areas of intellectual property law. Tom is the author of numerous articles and has presented many speeches on various aspects of intellectual property law. He has a particular interest and expertise in helping minority businesses exploit their IP assets. He also has particular expertise in intellectual property law in developing countries and has been a Guest Lecturer at the Nigerian National Law School in Lagos, Nigeria.