Joshua Graubart
295 Madison Ave., 22nd Floor
New York, NY 10017
Joshua Graubart has extensive experience in both litigation and transactional matters, representing American and foreign clients in connection with copyright and neighboring rights matters in the United States and abroad.
In dispute resolution, Josh has represented
- Several multi-national classes of songwriters, music publishers and independent record labels in multi-million dollar class action lawsuits in federal court seeking damages for copyright infringement;
- a British pop star in resolving a copyright dispute involving photographs and NFTs;
- A Canadian actor in dispute in the US against a multinational beverage conglomerate in connection with rights of publicity and neighboring rights under the law of Argentina;
- a Canadian record label in resolving a licensing dispute with US rightsholders;
- a Japanese film production company in correcting false U.S. media reports regarding copyright licensing and ownership;
- A US music library in resolving a dispute regarding a “sound-alike” master recording;
- a Chinese photographer in litigation before the New York Supreme Court and in proceedings before the California Labor Commissioner;
- a French recording artist in resolving a copyright infringement dispute with US rightsholders regarding record sampling.
Likewise, in transactional matters, Josh has advised
- a Canadian online media production house protecting its copyrights in the US;
- an American video streaming service licensing music in the U.S. and in foreign markets;
- a major European advertiser seeking the promotional services of a top American recording artist;
- American film producers seeking to license rights to a successful Japanese film;
- a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company in administering its catalogue of original music.
Josh is a member of executive committee of the US chapter of the Association Littéraire et Artistique Internationale (ALAI), the leading international organization on cross-border copyright law, and a member of the Intellectual Property Counsel of the New York City Bar Association. He sits on the board of IAFAR Ltd., a British not-for-profit organization aimed at advocating for and educating the music industry about neighboring rights, a subspecies of copyright benefiting primarily performing and recording artists and record labels, and is a member of the International Association of Entertainment Lawyers and the Society of Composers and Lyricists. Josh was formerly the chair of the Information Technology and Cyberlaw Committee of the New York City Bar Association, and an officer of the New York chapter of the Copyright Society.
Josh has been of counsel to two boutique New York City law firms for more than a decade, before which he practiced commercial litigation with two international law firms in New York City.
When not thinking about copyright, Josh skis, kayaks and hikes in and around upstate New York, and dreams of Japanese hot springs. He taught English for several years in northeastern Japan, obtained degrees from American and British universities in Japanese legal history, clerked for two Japanese law firms in Tokyo while a law student, and is conversant in Japanese.
Bar Admissions
- New Jersey (2006)
- U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey (2008)
- New York (2008)
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (2009)
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York (2009)
- California (2016)
- U.S. Court of Appeal for the Ninth Circuit (2016)
- U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (2020)
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California (2020)
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania (2020)
Education
- Dartmouth College, B.A. (1998)
- Duke University, M.A. (2005)
- Duke University School of Law, J.D. (2005)
- University of London, LL.M. (with merit) (2006)