Ben Sheffner Email & Phone Number

Los Angeles, Ca, Us

Washington, District Of Columbia, Us

Member of MPA's Legal and Government Affairs departments with dual role as attorney and policy advocate. Advise association and its members (the six major US motion picture studios) on copyright, right of publicity, trademark, First Amendment, and other issues, including playing a lead role in developing, implementing, and communicating motion picture industry's positions on artificial intelligence. Manage MPA amicus brief program. Represent MPA and member studios before the US Congress, state legislatures, and US Copyright Office and Patent and Trademark Office, including by submission of written comments in response to Federal Register notices and testimony at public hearings. Work closely with MPA Legal, Federal and State Government Affairs, and Communications, and counterparts at member studios, to formulate policy and coordinate press and legislative strategy and tactics. Represent MPA at legal/policy organizations including American Law Institute and Uniform Law Commission. Speak frequently in public fora to promote MPA and motion picture industry legal and public policy positions. Manage MPA's US political/ethics compliance. Serve as counsel to MPA Title Registration Bureau.

Washington, District Of Columbia, Us

Washington, District Of Columbia, Us

Washington, District Of Columbia, Us

Managed domestic and international anti-piracy litigation for the MPA's six motion picture studio members. Provided legal advice on non-litigation content-protection measures (e.g., notice-sending programs).

New York City, Ny, Us

Drafted and negotiated program and talent contracts, primarily for Bravo and other NBCU cable networks. Responsible for production services agreements, talent agreements, back-end definitions, quitclaim/reversion agreements, program licenses, vendor agreements, and various other production-related contracts.

New York City, Ny, Us

Provided legal advice regarding production of scripted television programming. Vetted scripts and counseled producers and writers on copyright, trademark, right-of-publicity, privacy, defamation, and related matters.

London, Gb

Attorney in private practice. Represented U.S. State Department in connection with "Democracy Video Challenge" contest to ensure compliance with copyright law. Founder and Editor, Copyrights & Campaigns blog, which was twice named by the ABA Journal to its list of "100 best legal blogs." Freelance journalist published in Billboard, Slate, Ars Technica, and San Jose Mercury News.

Us

Supervised 25 attorneys preparing for potential pre-election and election-day litigation. Served as in-house attorney on litigation matters including constitutional challenges to Senator McCain’s eligibility for presidency and copyright suit involving use of Jackson Browne song. Vetted all campaign advertising for copyright, trademark, right-of-publicity, defamation, and privacy issues. Counseled media team and other campaign staff on IP and related issues. Conducted legal analysis of eligibility of potential vice-presidential nominees. Supervised and conducted extensive factual investigation of circumstances surrounding Senator McCain’s birth in Panama Canal Zone.

New York, Ny, Us

Copyright/anti-piracy litigation, policy, and strategy. Litigated copyright actions for motion picture and television studio and affiliated broadcast and cable television networks. Formulated and implemented copyright strategies and tactics, including litigation, legislative advocacy, public relations, education, and technical measures. Provided copyright advice for business units and high-level executives across company, including film and TV studios, TV and cable networks, and Fox Interactive Media (MySpace). Worked closely with other major studios, networks, MPA, and law-enforcement authorities to further industry-wide copyright objectives.

New York City, Ny, Us

Defended television network, production studio, and affiliated cable networks in disputes including copyright, idea-theft, contract/license, defamation, invasion-of-privacy, and employment matters. For NBC News and owned-and-operated stations, litigated camera access to courts, access to sealed documents, and demands by third parties for production of unbroadcast material. Duties consisted primarily of hands-on litigation tasks, including writing briefs, arguing motions, propounding and responding to written discovery, taking and defending depositions, and interviewing and preparing witnesses. Supervised outside counsel. Assisted in formulating NBCU response to proposed anti-child-pornography legislation.

Global, Us

Litigation associate. Represented movie studios, record companies, and television networks in complex copyright, trademark, contract, and antitrust disputes. Prosecuted misdemeanors pro bono for Redondo Beach City Attorney’s Office.

Law clerk, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Washington, District Of Columbia, Us

Covered Congressional elections, term limits, reapportionment, redistricting, campaign finance, and various aspects of the internal organization and politics of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. Wrote approximately seven articles per week. Appeared on air as expert on Congressional elections on CNN, C-SPAN, MSNBC, CNBC, FOX, NPR, and numerous talk radio shows.

Covered races for the U.S. House as reporter/editor for nonpartisan newsletter. Conducted interviews with hundreds of candidates, campaign staffers, political consultants, and party officials. Edited Senate, governors, and national politics copy. Provided analysis and research to reporters for major news organizations, including the Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and CNN.

Jd, Law

A.B., Government

Education record

Education record

Education record