Jonathan Gray: Life's Guru

I recently interviewed entertainment lawyer and partner at Gray Krauss Des Rochers LPP, Jonathan Gray. Jonathan Gray, is someone I would like to call “Life’s Guru.” 

My initial impression of him was a friendly, outgoing and a well-versed professional.  Early in the interview, I discovered his ambition and entrepreneurial spirit.  This has lead him to become an award winning producer and entertainment lawyer. Jonathan has a catch phrase to encourage young professionals to keep motivated in the entertainment industry and follow their dreams, “do the work”, he said. What does “do the work” mean? It means exactly what it states. As Jonathan mentioned he has seen several professionals year after year talking about the same idea. He mentioned in order for people to take them seriously they just need to do the work and get out there and start creating the project. Of course do it smartly with the help of an excellent lawyer to avoid any legal trouble and to help make the project a commercial success. It is all about taking that first leap of faith to go in the direction you always dreamed.

From an early age, Jonathan always knew he wanted to work in the entertainment industry. His love of movies fueled his dream. His genuine heart and passion for the love of movies affected his life and made him learn about the filmmaking process from the bottom up. Jonathan also learned early on to be a pro-active voice for industry professionals when needed. He founded and became the Chairperson of the New York State Bar Association Committee on Motion Pictures. He learned to jump at every opportunity when it presented itself and work with connections. A chance encounter with Phil Cowan, early on in his career guided him into the entertainment law field, culminating in being the production counsel on the Oscar award winning film “Precious.” 

Jonathan’s willingness to always learn is what makes him relatable to his cliental. He speaks highly of finding the respect amongst production members and the team behind making a film. Jonathan’s three favorite words are: community, equitable and transparency, when dealing with clients. He believes it is important to understand the community and belong to the film community to be relatable. He believes its important to be equitable to make the best deal for all parties involved. He believes transparency, so that everything is open and out on the table when negotiating a deal. His approach to the situation is what he calls an “holistic approach.” It is when everyone plays nicely in deals, agreements and contracts. 

It wasn't until after the interview I had with Jonathan Gray that I realized he became more of a “Life's Guru” to entertainment professionals along with being a legal expert. It is a combination of his traits and his life experiences that makes people gravitate towards him. His simple catch phrase to his three favorite words is all I needed to know to understand who he is as a person and his words of wisdom to pass on to other young professionals. I hope one day to work with Jonathan on a project as he seems to have great karma on his side. 

Source

Gray Krauss Des Rochers LLP. (2011). Jonathan Gray, partner. Gray Krauss Des Rochers LLP. Retrieved from http://www.gkd-law.com/attorneys/

(J. Gray, personal communication, September 22, 2011). 

Stabb, H. (2011). Jonathan Gray (v). IMDB. Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1807745/bio

IP Controversies

For this blog post, I will be discussing current IP controversies in order to gain more knowledge on how I can protect myself when I launch my business plan. I will be looking at copyright infringement on memoirs, technology patents, and copyrights over use of likeness in brand name.

The first IP controversy is in regards to the copyright infringement on memoirs. The latest book, “Three Cups of Tea,” by Greg Mortenson is another book that the events are fabricated and publishing houses have fallen victim to such scams by authors. James Frey is another example with “A Million Little Pieces,” that his story was embellished in order to become a successful memoir. Authors sign confidentiality agreements with publishers stating all information in memoir is deemed to be true. However, since publishing houses cannot do complete background checks on all memoirs they trust the author in what is fact. In my opinion, this is an ongoing issue that publishing houses will continue to struggle with as it's impossible to check all facts in the memoirs. Publishers can only create stricter guidelines for writing memoirs and more detailed contractual agreements for punishment if information is fabricated. 

The second IP controversy is the lawsuit that Apple, HP and many other companies are being sued by Wi-Lan for using patents such as Wi-Fi and LTE networks. Wi-Lan has transferred its business model from a wireless company to making $50 million a year buying patents and licensing them to other companies. Cisco has had a lucrative deal with Wi-Lan for licensing agreements. In my opinion Wi-Lan seems to have strong arguments against the companies it’s suing. However, I don’t feel as though Wi-Lan will necessary win in regards to royalties. I feel as though Wi-Lan and the defendants will work out a licensing agreement instead of a lump sum of cash settlement. I foresee this case taking years to resolve as Wi-Lin still has lawsuits pending since 2007 against other companies for using its patents. 

The third IP controversy is the copyrights over the use of likeness in brand name. The music artist, Akon, is suing his business partners over copyright infringement for creating a fragrance with the brand name of his music label “Konvict.” After reading this article, I would definitely take Akon’s side of this argument due to the interpersonal relationships he has with his managers and the easy access to trade secrets. I believe Akon would win his case against his business managers. 

It is important to understand present and past IP controversy cases in order to better protect different elements of my business plan. It is by understanding different IP laws that I will know what my rights are and how to properly license other products or create work that can be protected. 

Sources

Haq, H. (2011, April 20). ‘Three Cups of Tea’: Is the publishing industry to blame for fabricated memoirs? The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved from: http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2011/0420/Three-Cups-of-Tea-Is-the-publishing-industry-to-blame-for-fabricated-memoirs

Yin, S. ( 2011, September 2). Apple, HTC, More Sued Over Wi-Fi, LTE Patents. PC Magazine. Retrieved from: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2392383,00.asp

Z&M Media. (2010, April 26). Akon Sues Former Business Partners Over Use of Konvict Name For Their Fragrance. Hip  Hop Weekly. Retrieved from: http://www.hiphopweekly.com/2010/04/26/akon-sues-former-business-partners-over-use-of-konvict-name-for-their-fragrance/