Mr. Graif is a partner in the Intellectual Property group. He focuses his practice on licensing, technology transactions, patent and trademark portfolio management, and copyright matters.
Mr. Graif has experience preparing and negotiating licensing, development and joint venture agreements relating to computer software, know-how, trademarks and other technology. In addition, Mr. Graif routinely is involved in conducting due diligence analyses and advising clients on the intellectual property aspects of business transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, securitizations, loans, securities offerings and other investments.
Mr. Graif also counsels clients on trademark clearance and enforcement issues, merchandise licensing, publicity and privacy rights, copyrights, digital rights management, domain name proceedings and other Internet-related issues. He has represented clients from Fortune 500 companies to startups, advising on strategic acquisitions, implementing global licensing programs, and protecting and enforcing all types of intellectual property rights.
Mr. Graif has appeared on television and has been quoted extensively in national and international press to discuss file-sharing and copyright issues. Appearances and quotations include Bloomberg Television to discuss the MGM v. Grokster file-sharing argument, Reuters Television, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, The Guardian of London and The Daily Deal.
COURTS
U.S. Court of Appeals – Federal Circuit
U.S. District Court – Southern District of New York
U.S. District Court – Eastern District of New York
U.S. District Court – Western District of New York
U.S. District Court – Northern District of California
MEMBERSHIPS
New York State Bar Association
Special Committee on Cyberspace Law
New York Intellectual Property Law Association
Law Society of Upper Canada
International Trademark Association
PRO BONO
Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA), the official cultural agency of Bronx County, which provides technical assistance to arts organizations and individual artists on a variety of legal issues: made presentations on intellectual property rights, 2005.
AWARDS
Received Legal Aid Society Pro Bono Award for exceptional legal services to low-income New Yorkers through the Bronx Council on the Arts, 2005.
Named a Super Lawyer in the New York Metro area, 2006 and 2007.
Michael R. Graif
