Legal Expertise

Jeffrey Movit is an aggressive and innovative litigator whose specialties include copyright, trademark, defamation and entertainment law.  He brings creativity and energy to each of his representations, pressing for favorable resolutions for his clients at every turn.  Jeffrey has been called the “lawyer to the stars” by the New York Post, and he was named by Billboard magazine as one of the "Top Music Lawyers" for 2022.  Jeffrey has also been selected by Super Lawyers for 2022.

While Jeffrey frequently obtains favorable results for his clients in the courtroom, his clients often hire him to resolve disputes confidentially before litigation becomes necessary.

Representative Matters

• Upfront Megatainment, Inc. et al. v. Alianue Thiam p/k/a Akon, Index No. 652156/2021 (Supreme Court N.Y. County 2022).  In this breach of contract action in which Jeffrey represents the former managers and business partners of the R&B singer Akon, Jeffrey obtained a large payment from Akon to his clients in the amount of $850,000.  This payment was made after Jeffrey moved on behalf of his clients for an attachment of Akon’s assets, and the Court ruled that the attachment would be granted.
• Advanced Alternative Media, Inc. v. Jesse Frasure, 2021 WL 2349976 (Jan. 20, 2021).  In this breach-of-contract arbitration, Jeffrey obtained a resounding victory for his client AAM.  This victory included a substantial damages award of $1,275,744.43.  Jeffrey further established his client’s right to receive further commissions from Mr. Frasure in perpetuity.  Jeffrey also defeated all of the counterclaims asserted by Mr. Frasure against his client, including a counterclaim asserted under California’s Talent Agencies Act.
• Loomis v. Cornish, 836 F.3d 991 (9th Cir. 2016).  In this precedent-setting copyright-infringement action in which the plaintiff alleged that Jessie J’s hit song “Domino” infringed his musical composition, Jeffrey successfully argued on behalf of the defendants before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.  The Ninth Circuit adopted Jeffrey’s argument that the plaintiff’s claim failed as a matter of law because the plaintiff could not establish any access by the defendants to the plaintiff’s allegedly infringed song.  For the very first time, the Ninth Circuit adopted the “corporate receipt” doctrine, which holds that “bare corporate receipt” by a defendant of an allegedly infringed work is insufficient as a matter of law for the plaintiff to establish access.
• Jay Brian Ballard v. Mary J. Blige, et al. (C.D. Cal. 2010).  Jeffrey obtained a significant victory in this copyright-infringement action, in which the plaintiffs alleged that Mary J. Blige’s smash hit “Take Me As I Am” infringed their musical composition.  Jeffrey obtained dismissal of the action after taking the deposition of plaintiffs’ expert musicologist.  At that deposition, upon Jeffrey’s cross-examination, the musicologist renounced his prior opinion that “Take Me As I Am” was infringing.

Honors & Awards

• "Top Music Lawyers," Billboard (2022)
• "Rising Stars," New York Super Lawyers (2013-2018)

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