Michael N. Schlesinger - Attorneys - Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP ~ Full service entertainment law firm

Legal Expertise

International intellectual property matters with an emphasis on copyright, trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights protection, policy advocacy, legislative and treaty drafting and advocacy, as well as domestic and international brand management and trademark law. Mr. Schlesinger’s international copyright practice focuses on developments in China, India and throughout Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Mr. Schlesinger is frequently called upon by lawmakers, policymakers and the press on addressing IP challenges in China, and he helped lead efforts in the first-ever IP and IP-related (market access) cases to be brought by the United States against China.

Representative Matters

Works with foreign governments on compliance with international intellectual property and trade agreements and IP capacity building.
Represented coalition of copyright associations in developing dispute settlement proceedings (brought by the United States government) involving intellectual property rights and market access for books, movies and music in the People’s Republic of China (the U.S. largely prevailed in both cases).
Represents the International Intellectual Property Alliance on international copyright law and enforcement matters.

Of Counsel - Washington, DC

Email Michael N. Schlesinger

Phone:

(202) 355-7924

Fax:

(202) 355-7889

Practice Area

Intellectual Property & Technology

Industry Focus

Motion picture, music, television, business software, videogame, new media, publishing, high-profile brand companies, SMEs

Education

Columbia University School of Law, J.D., 1996; with honors, Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar
Oberlin College, A.B., 1989

Court Admissions

District of Columbia
Virginia
USDC, Eastern District of Virginia
U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit

Publications and Presentations

Speaker, The Role of Copyright and Related Rights in the Promotion of Social, Cultural, and Economic Development, WIPO International Copyright Training (March 2012)
Panelist, Global Intellectual Property Center's U.S. Patent & Trademark Office IP Attaches Roundtable focusing on regional initiatives to promote IP protection and enforcement (December 2011)
Author, Through the Lens of TRIPs Enforcement Text and WIPO ‘Internet’ Treaties: The Possible Shift to a Creative Economy in Southeast Asia, in Christopher Antons, Ed., “The Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights: Comparative Perspectives from the Asia-Pacific Region,” Kluwer Law Books (2011)
Author, Legal Issues in Peer-to-Peer Filesharing, Focusing on the Making Available Right, in Alan Strowel, Ed., “Peer-to-Peer File Sharing and Secondary Liability in Copyright Law,” Edward Alger Books (2009)
Speaker, The Right of Making Available and its Implementation in National Law, Global Copyrights Forum, Korea Copyright Commission, Korea (2008)
Speaker, What is the Effect in the U.S. of the ‘Making Available’ Right? Comparative Approaches in Asia, Interpreting the Making Available Right, and Also the Intersection with Secondary Liability, Fordham International IP Conference, New York (2008)

Professional, Business, and Civic Affiliations

Professorial Lecturer in Law, “International Copyright Law” seminar, George Washington University School of Law (2004-present)
Lecturer in Intellectual Property Law, “Enforcement of Copyright” seminar, Munich Intellectual Property Law Center (2005-present)
Pro Bono Counsel, Friends of Fort Dupont Ice Arena
Pro Bono Counsel, Skate for Life (2008-2009)

Other Career Experience

Of Counsel, Greenberg Traurig LLP (2007-2011)
Partner, Smith, Strong & Schlesinger LLP (2006-2007); Smith & Metalitz LLP (1997-2006)

Languages

Japanese
Conversational Chinese