CURRENT PROFILE
Licensed in California and Washington state, inactive in Washinton. Office located in San Francisco, California practicing copyright, trademark, trade secret, licensing, business and transactional law for the computer, entertainment, and publishing industries. Publications Chair and Division Chair for the Visual Arts and governing committee member of the ABA Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries overseeing journal, listservs, website and book publishing programs. Past editor-in-chief of Entertainment and Sports Lawyer. Liaison to the American Bar Association Technology Counsel. Author, "Web Site Design Agreements" in New Media published by Clark Boardman Callaghan. Monthly columnist on Internet and technology licensing for The Licensing Journal.
BAR MEMBERSHIPS
Member in good standing of the California State Bar (admitted to practice 1985), Washington State Bar (currently inactive status, admitted to practice 1981), American Bar Association, Los Angeles County Bar Association. Admitted to United States District Courts, Central District of California and Western District of Washington.
EMPLOYMENT
1985-Present Law Office of Richard J. Greenstone, San Francisco and Los Angeles, CA. Principal. Responsible for entire case load and management of law practice. Areas of practice include copyright, trademark, trade secret, entertainment, computer publishing, advertising, unfair competition, arts and general business law. Primarily a transactional law practice negotiating computer licensing and technology transfer agreements; acquisition of computer programs and content for publication and multi-media development; book publishing contracts; acquisitions of literary property for motion pictures and television with attendant options, assignments of copyright, short form options for recordation and writer agreements; development and production agreements with major motion picture studios; employment agreements per Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild basic agreements; licensing; advertising agency agreements; graphic artists agreements and gallery agreements; recording contracts; synchronization and master use licenses; music publishing; music promotion; assignments and transfers of intellectual property (both exclusive, non-exclusive and assecurity for loans); registration of copyrights and trademarks, both domestic and international (all types of works and products); trademark cancellation and opposition actions; credit attribution problems; agency agreements per the California Talent Agencies Act; advisory letters to clients re all of the above including United States copyright and trademark policies; emphasis on preventive law.
1995 Starwave Corporation, Bellevue, WA. Director of Legal Affairs. Advise corporation on intellectual property, corporate, publishing and human resources law. Negotiate agreements for online services including ESPNET SportsZone, Mr. Showbiz, Outside Online and Family Planet. Write and negotiate agreements for independent contractors developing computer programs for CD-ROM and online service projects. Coordinate insurance policies covering corporation and its various activities. Negotiate with music publishers and record companies synchronization and master use licenses for use on CD-ROM projects. Write standard advertising contract for use with online services. Write and negotiate myriad other agreements in the entertainment and computer fields. Coordinate outside counsel on company trademarks.
1984-1985 Cantor & Weinshenk, Attorneys at Law, Sherman Oaks, CA. Law Clerk. Legal research and writing of motions, summary judgments, points and authorities, briefs, etc.
1982-1983 Law Office of Richard J. Greenstone, Seattle, WA. Principal. Responsible for entire caseload and management of law practice.
1981 Law Office of Woeppel & Hoover, Spokane, WA. Associate. Legal research and writing of points and authorities, briefs, motions, etc.
1979-1981 Spokane Legal Services, Spokane, WA. Law Clerk and Rule 9 Legal Intern. Tried cases before Washington state administrative law judges; participated in Ninth Circuit appeal; administered lawyer referral service; responsible for own case load; research and write points and authorities, motions, trial briefs, etc.
EDUCATION
1978-1981 Gonzaga University School of Law, Spokane, WA. Juris Doctor degree, May 1981. Staff member Gonzaga Canadian-American Law Journal.
1973-1977 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR. Bachelor of Science degree in political science, minor in art history, June 1977.
ARTICLES
Book review of "Art, Artifact & Architecture Law" by Jessica L. Darraby in 25 Entertainment & Sports Lawyer No. 1, Spring 2007.
Book Review of "Courting the Yankees: Legal Essays on the Bronx Bombers" in 22 Entertainment & Sports Lawyer No. 1, Spring 2004.
"So You Want to be in the Entertainment Industry" in The Licensing Journal, September 2003.
"UCITA and the Mirror of Erised" in The Licensing Journal, July 2003.
"What's That Burning Smell Coming from the Internet?" in The Licensing Journal, April 2003.
"Criminalizing Copyright" in The Licensing Journal, November/December 2001.
"Revisionist History" in The Licensing Journal, October 2001.
"Acceptable Losses" in The Licensing Journal, August 2001.
"The Difference Between COPA, COPPA and Copa Cabana" in The Licensing Journal, May 2001.
"An Introduction to the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act" in The Licensing Journal, March 2001.
"The Look of a License" in The Licensing Journal, February 2001.
"The Limits of Licensing" in The Licensing Journal, January 2001.
Book Review of Copyright Law and Practice in 15 Entertainment and Sports Lawyer Number 1, Spring 1997
"The Weak Link" in course materials for the Eighth Annual Southern Regional Entertainment & Sports Law Seminar, Nov. 12-16, 1996, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and at http://www.rjg.com/weaklink.html.
"Why A Contract" in Software Publishers Association Newsletter December 1994.
Assorted Editor's Columns as editor of Entertainment and Sports Lawyer (1989-1995).
Book Review of Entertainment Law: Legal Concepts and Business Practices (Second Edition) in 10 The Entertainment and Sports Lawyer Number 1, Spring 1992.
Book Review of By the Book: Legal ABCs for the Printed Word in The Los Angeles Daily Journal, October 23, 1990, at 7, col. 1; reprinted in 8 The Entertainment and Sports Lawyer Number 3, Fall 1990.
Book Review of International Copyright Law and Practice in 7 The Entertainment and Sports Lawyer Number 3, Spring/ Summer 1989.
Book Review of Covering All the Bases: A Comprehensive Research Guide to Sports Law and Law of Professional and Amateur Sports in 7 The Entertainment and Sports Lawyer Number 2, Winter 1989.
"'It's Not Sufficiently Novel,' Held the Judge" in 6 The Entertainment and Sports Lawyer Number 2, Fall 1987.
"Update on the Film Colorization Debate" in 9 Entertainment Law Reporter Number 4, September 1987.
Book Review of 1986 Entertainment Publishing and the Arts Handbook in 5 The Entertainment and Sports Lawyer Number 3, Winter 1987.
"A Coat of Paint on the Past? Impediments to Distribution of Colorized Black and White Motion Pictures" in 5 The Entertainment and Sports Lawyer Number 2, Fall 1986; reprinted in 1987 Entertainment, Publishing and the Arts Handbook published by Clark Boardman Callaghan.
"Protection of Obscene Parody as Fair Use" in 4 The Entertainment and Sports Lawyer Number 3, Winter/Spring 1986.
ACTIVITIES, AWARDS, AND HONORS
2002-Present Producer and Chief Programmer of "The Art of the Deal" and "Entertainment and Sports Law in the New Economcy" CD-ROMs for the American Bar Association's Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries Annual Meetings in Nashville, TN, and New York, NY respectively
1997 Appointed Member American Bar Association Standing Committee on Strategic Communications.
1996 Speaker, Eighth Annual Southern Regional Entertainment & Sports Law Seminar, Nov. 12-16, 1996, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
1996 Appointed Liaison, American Bar Association Technology Counsel.
1995 Editor, Web page for Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries. Third iteration up. See http://www.abanet.org/forums/entsports/home.html
1995 Appointed Publications Chair, ABA Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries, overseeing Entertainment and Sports Lawyer, Forum Web page, Forum book publishing program, and other publishing activities of Forum.
1994-Present Editor, New Media: Intellectual Property, Entertainment and Technology Law, by Jim Talbott, published September 1997.
1994 Moderator/Organizer, Plenary Session on multimedia law, annual meeting of the Forum Committee on the Entertainment and Sports Industries, American Bar Association.
1994 Speaker, International QuickTime and Multimedia Conference, San Francisco, California.
1993 Guest, Film 90s with host Melody Jackson, a one-half hour television show on the entertainment industry, explaining various aspects of entertainment and copyright law.
1991 Moderator, Entertainment Licensing panel, Home Media Expo.
1990–Present Editor, Law Bytes, published by the Law Office of Richard J. Greenstone.
1990 Awarded an "av" rating (highest rating available representing legal ability and ethical standards) by Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory on recommendation of attorney colleagues.
1990 Admitted to Los Angeles Copyright Society.
1989-1995 Editor, The Entertainment and Sports Lawyer, an American Bar Association publication. Responsible for production of law journal with circulation of 7,000 subscribers and budget of $41,000 per year. Procure from contributors and edit arti-cles on entertainment law, motion pictures, television, music, radio, sports, copyright, book reviews and many other areas of interest to the entertainment and sports practitioner. Coordinate with ABA Press production (including choice of art and presentation of articles) and circulation of The Entertainment and Sports Lawyer. Member, Governing Committee of the American Bar Association Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries. Participate in matters of policy and direction for the Forum Committee.
1989-Present Mediator and arbitrator for Arts Arbitration and Mediation Service, a program of California Lawyers for the Arts. Volunteer clinic attorney for California Lawyers for the Arts copyright clinics.
1988-Present Author of a hypertext computer program on the Copyright Act of 1976 for the Macintosh computer. Nationally distributed as shareware on various bulletin board services and on the Boston Computer Society CD-ROM of best Macintosh "shareware" software. Available upon request.
1988-1989 Member, Executive Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association Barristers.
1987-1989 Associate and assistant editor positions, The Entertainment and Sports Lawyer.
1987-1988 Co-chair Los Angeles County Bar Association Barrister's Committee on Artists and the Law.
1987 Speaker before the Copyright Society of the U.S.A. mid-winter meeting and before the U.S.C. Entertainment Symposium on colorization of black and white motion pictures.
1986 Speaker before the California Copyright Conference on parody in music.
1973-Present Winner, three Eastman Kodak/Scholastic Magazine awards for excellence in photography. Three solo photographic exhibitions, numerous group exhibitions.