Admitted to Practice | U.S. Supreme Court, 2001 | | U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 1986 | | U.S. Court of Appeals 2nd Circuit, 1974 | | U.S. District Court Northern District of California, 1985 | | U.S. District Court Central District of California, 1985 | | U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York, 1974 | | U.S. District Court Southern District of New York, 1974 | | California, 1983 | | New York, 1974 |
| Henry Tashman counsels and defends clients in the entertainment and communications industries in matters including complex litigation, contracts, intellectual property ownership, copyrights, antitrust, right of publicity, "profit participation" accounting, defamation and trade secrets. Henry has an impressive record, having won all of his trials and having never lost a case since entering private practice in California in 1989.
Henry frequently addresses the Los Angeles County Bar Association on antitrust issues affecting the entertainment and communications industries. He also speaks at Practising Law Institute (PLI) seminars on litigating copyright, trademark and unfair competition cases, and has presented before the Los Angeles Copyright Society, the Washington, D.C. Copyright Society (co-presented with now Chief Justice John Roberts) and the Anti-Counterfeiting Federation on copyright issues.
Henry's clients include: CNN, Columbia Pictures and related companies, E! Entertainment Television, Merv Griffin Enterprises, Simon & Schuster, Spelling-Goldberg Productions and Yeda Research & Development (the marketing arm of the Weizmann Institute of Science of Israel). Selected Experience Motion Picture Association of America, Inc., Walt Disney Pictures Corporation, Paramount Pictures Corporation, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation and Universal City Studios LLP 2005 Represented the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and all of its members (except MGM). Obtained dismissal of a claim by an independent motion picture producer that the MPAA’s Motion Picture Title Registration Bureau violated federal and California antitrust laws and California Business & Professions Code § 17200. Columbia Pictures 2004 Representation of Columbia Pictures in a six-party dispute regarding ownership of 39 classic Spanish-language motion pictures starring the Mexican actor Cantinflas. Columbia Pictures prevailed after a three-week trial; affirmed on appeal. Columbia Pictures 2004 Defended Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.'s ownership of motion pictures starring the late Mexican actor Cantinflas, establishing that Columbia owned its rights under both U.S. and Mexican law. Columbia Pictures Television 2002 Represented plaintiff in obtaining a $31.6 million jury verdict in statutory damages for copyright infringement against the owner of three television stations. The Charles Gold Family Minority Share Holders 1999 Successfully represented minority share holders in a suit to involuntarily dissolve three closely held, family-owned corporations holding real estate and other assets worth $70 million to $100 million. Representation included a three-month trial, arguments in the Court of Appeal and briefing in the California Supreme Court. Cable News Network (CNN) 1994 Defended CNN against copyright infringement and breach of contract lawsuit brought by the videographer of the iconic home video depicting Rodney King's beating by Los Angeles police; obtained summary judgment dismissing claim. The Lyons Group Partnership LP 1993 Successfully defended Barney™ (the purple and green dinosaur) in a suit to enjoin the distribution of videotapes containing 30 Barney & Friends™ episodes (with a retail value of over $500 million). Plaintiff sought the injunction based upon the use of plaintiff’s copyrighted posters as set dressing on the walls of the Barney™ classroom set. Columbia Pictures 1993 Co-counsel for Columbia Pictures, obtaining and successfully defending on appeal a summary judgment ruling that Columbia’s unsuccessful but objectively meritorious copyright infringement lawsuit (brought with other studios against a potential competitor) was protected by the Knoerr-Pennington doctrine and therefore did not violate the antitrust laws. Five major and two non-major motion picture studios 1992 Obtained dismissal for discovery abuses of an antitrust suit brought by a motion picture theatre owner against five major and two non-major studios. In affirming the dismissal, the 2nd Circuit established the rule that cases could be dismissed without a finding that the discovery abuse was "willful." Class of 600 independent TV stations 1986 Represented a class of 600 independent TV stations in an antitrust class-action challenging ASCAP's and BMI's blanket TV music public performance license. Simmons Cooper Andrews LLC Drafted expert opinion at the request of defendants on U.S. intellectual property issues with respect to a lawsuit in the United Kingdom High Court alleging infringement of copyrights and trademarks in costumes for the movie "Star Wars." Additional Qualifications
- Partner, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, Los Angeles
- Senior Vice President/Deputy General Counsel, Legal Affairs, Columbia Pictures, New York, N.Y., and Los Angeles
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Professional and Community Activities Professional Recognition
- Named as one of the “Best Lawyers in America” in Entertainment Law by Woodward/White, 2007-present
- Selected to "Southern California Super Lawyers,” Law & Politics, 2004-2010
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Education J.D., History, Minor in English, Georgetown University Law Center, 1973
- Editor, The Georgetown International Law Journal
- Nathan Burkan (ASCAP) prize for copyright
B.A., University of Connecticut, 1970, magna cum laude
- Phi Beta Kappa
- Phi Kappa Phi
* Denotes experience completed at a prior firm | |