Owen, Wickersham & Erckson announced today that Neil Boorstyn, author of the nationally-acclaimed treatises Copyright Law and Boorstyn on Copyright, and the bi-monthly newsletter The Copyright Law Journal, has joined the firm as Of Counsel. Mr. Boorstyn has practiced and litigated copyright and computer cases for over 60 years as a member of both the California and New York bars.
“Neil is one of the legends of the copyright bar and we are thrilled to have him join us,” said OWE’s Greg Owen. “We expect that all of our clients will benefit from the depth of Neil’s expertise in the field of copyright, as well as his practical advice on litigation issues,” added Noel Cook.
“I have known and respected the work of Mel Owen and the lawyers at OWE for many years and I’m very pleased to be joining a firm that has such a strong legacy in the areas of trademark and copyright,” said Boorstyn.
Over his long career, Boorstyn has chaired the Copyright Committee of the California State Bar, served on the Executive Committee of the Patent, Trademark & Copyright Section of the State Bar, chaired the Software Protection Committee of the San Francisco Bar, and chaired the Industrial Products Committee of the International Patent & Trademark Association. He has spoken at numerous national and state conferences, including to name a few, the American Bar Association, California State Bar Annual Conferences, PLI Computer Software Conference, AIPLA, BNA Conference of Computer Software. Boorstyn was appointed Special Master by Chief Judge Marilyn Hall Patel in A&M Records Inc. v. Napster, Inc. (N.D.Cal. 2001). For 17 years he has taught copyright and computer law at several universities, including Hastings College of the Law, U.C. Berkeley, U.C. Davis, and Golden Gate University. Notable clients include The Beatles, Hewlett-Packard, Lockheed Martin, Sony Corporation, Warner/Chappell Music, and Frank Gehry. He was Of Counsel at Bingham McCutchen for 25 years.
Boorstyn is the author and publisher, since July 1984, of the bi-monthly newsletter The Copyright Law Journal, providing subscribers with in-depth and insightful analysis of recent copyright cases, guidance and practice tips. Marybeth Peters, former U.S. Register of Copyrights, who has been “an avid reader” of the Journal since 1984, calls the Journal “exceptional” and her “favorite publication,” stating “I highly recommend this extremely informative and respected newsletter.” Boorstyn will continue to produce the Journal with the support of OWE.