Phone (718) 544-3434  Email ray@beckermanlegal.com

Ray is a commercial litigator and internet law attorney with extensive experience in business law, copyright, trademark, entertainment, libel, slander, internet, computer software, business torts, and other areas, and has litigated hundreds of cases.

He began his legal career with Phillips, Nizer, Benjamin, Krim & Ballon, working his way through night law school, and upon graduation becoming an attorney in that firm. He then became an associate with Lowey, Dannenberg & Knapp, and with Squadron, Ellenoff, Plesent & Lehrer, and served as a partner in Gallet Dreyer & Berkey, Beldock Levine & Hoffman, and Vandenberg & Feliu, prior to launching his new firm in June, 2008.

Practice Areas include:

    -Business litigation, arbitration, and mediation
    -Copyright and trademark
    -Internet, software, and technology
    -Libel, slander, privacy, publicity
    -Entertainment
    -Corporate and business disputes
    -Fraudulent conveyance, fiduciary duty
    -Restrictive covenants
    -Commercial judgment enforcement
    -International air and ocean freight and logistics
    -First Amendment
    -Real estate and estate litigation
    -Business formation, contract negotiation and advice   

Education

    -St. John’s University School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 1978 (St. John's Law Review, Fall 1975; Winner, Federal Bar Council's Cornelius W. Wickersham, Jr., Award in Constitutional Law; Winner, American Jurisprudence Awards in Constitutional Law and in Corporations)
    -Herbert H. Lehman College (formerly Hunter College in the Bronx), B.A., 1968 (Editor-in-Chief, Meridian, college newspaper; Member, board of editors, Echo, literary magazine)
    -The Bronx High School of Science, 1964 (Degree "With Merit")  

State Bar Admission

    -New York, 1979

Additional Court Admissions

    -U.S. Supreme Court
    -U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
    -U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
    -U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
    -U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York  

              
Publications    

-Author, "Content Holders vs. The Web: 2008 US Copyright Law Victories Point to Robust Internet". Journal of Internet Law, January 2009 edition.
-Author, "In 'Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. v RDR Books', a US District Judge rejects a 'fair use' defence put forward for use of 'Harry Potter' copyrights for the publishing of a reference guide", E-Commerce Law Reports, 3 October 2008.
-Author, "Large Recording Companies v. The Defenseless: Some Common Sense Solutions to the Challenges of the RIAA Litigation". The Judges' Journal, Judicial Division of American Bar Association.  Summer 2008 edition, Part 1 of The Judges Journals' 2-part series, "Access to Justice".
-Author, “Recording Industry vs. The People”, copyright law blog
-Author, “Is ‘Making Available’ Copyright Infringement?” Hollywood Reporter ESQ, January 22, 2007
-Guest Blogger, “Digital Music News” (legal issues involving digital copyright law)
-Guest Blogger, “P2P Net” (legal issues involving digital copyright law cases)
-Submitter, numerous articles on Slashdot.org as “NewYorkCountryLawyer”
-Author, “Ohio Election Fraud (formerly “Fairness”)” blog about Ohio 2004 presidential election
-Author, “Outside Counsel: Issues in Judgment Enforcement", NYLJ, September 29, 1994
-Author, "Reducing Inefficiencies in Lawyers' Use of Time in Supreme Court", NYSBA, Committee on State Judiciary, Commercial and Federal Litigation Section    

Affiliations

-Member, Entertainment Law Committee, Association of the Bar of the City of New York
-General Counsel, The Bronx County Historical Society
-Former Member, Copyright & Literary Property Committee, Information Technology Law Committee, Entertainment Law Committee, and Civil Courts Committee, Association of the Bar of the City of New York  

Speaking Engagements 

-Panelist, "Code v. Code", Kallos For Council campaign, New York, NY, October 2012
-Speaker, "Capitol Records vs. ReDigi and the First Sale Doctrine", Copyright Society of USA, New England Chapter, New England School of Law, March 2012
-Panelist, "The Next Big Thing: Emerging Issues in Entertainment Law," Harvard University School of Law, Cambridge, MA, November 2010
-Panelist, "Reaching Acc[h]ord: Resolving Disputes Over Music Downloading", St. John's University School of Law, Jamaica, NY, October 2010
-Panelist, "Monetizing the Band", New York Law School, New York, NY, October 2010
-Speaker, "Securing the eCampus 2010", Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, July 2010
-Panelist, "Seeking Harmony in Music Distribution", American Bar Association CLE Webinar, June, 2010
-Speaker, South by Southwest Music Festival, "Recording Industry vs The People", Austin, TX, March 2010
-Panelist, Copyright Society of the USA, NY Chapter, "$80,000 a song?" CLE Panel, New York, NY, November 2009
-Speaker, IgniteNYC Web 2.0 Expo Kickoff, New York, NY, November 2009
-Panelist, New York Law School, Music Entertainment Sports Art Law Association, "Music Business Conference", "The Enforcement Regime Employed by the RIAA to Crack Down on Infringers", New York, NY, February 2009.
-Speaker, Columbia University School of Law, Society for Law, Science & Technology and Entertainment, Arts & Sports Law Society, New York, NY, November 2008.
-Panelist, "Media and Technology Policy-Making in the 21st Century", Producers Guild of America New Media Council East, and Department of Media Studies and Film at The New School, New York, NY, November 2008.
-Speaker, St. John's University School of Law, Entertainment, Arts, Sports Law Society, October 2008.
-Guest Lecturer, New York University, Prof. Aram Sinnreich "Copyright, Culture, and Commerce" class, October 2008 and February 2008
-Speaker, Last H.O.P.E. Conference, "RIAA Litigations: How the Tech Community can Help", Hotel Pennsylvania, New York, NY, July 2008.
-Guest Lecturer, New York University School of Law, Prof. Jonathan Zittrain "Cyberlaw", March 2008
-Panelist, IP Law Conference, Fordham University Law School, March 2008
-Speaker, IP Law Day, John Marshall School of Law, February 2008
-Speaker, "Are you a pirate?", University of Maine, October, 2007
-Panelist, "Music, Movies, and Copyright", Columbia Free Culture/Digital Freedom, Columbia University, October, 2007
-Speaker, Roundtable discussion, Information Law Institute Law Student Association/ NYU Free Culture, New York University Law School, March, 2007
-Panelist, P2P Media Summit, DMIA, Santa Monica, CA, June 2007
-Panelist, P2P Media Summit, DMIA, New York, NY, February 2007
-Panelist, EDUCAUSE/Cornell Institute for Computer Policy and Law Annual Seminar, Cornell University, June, 2006
-Panelist, "Future of the Music Business", Continuing Legal Education Program, City University of New York Graduate Center, April 2006
-Panelist, "Downloading and Music: The Moral and Legal Issues", New York Music Industry Association/WBMB Radio, Bernard Baruch College of City University of New York, November 2005.
-Panelist, "Future of Music and Video", Continuing Legal Education Program. City University of New York Graduate Center, November 2005
-Panelist, P2P Litigation Summit, Northwestern University School of Law, Chicago, IL, November, 2005

 Reported cases

Sinclair v. TubeSockTedD, 2009 US Dist LEXIS 9641 (D.D.C. 2009)
UMG v. Lindor, 2006 WL 3335048 (EDNY 2006)
Don Buchwald & Associates, Inc. v. Marber-Rich, 11 A.D.3d 277, 782 N.Y.S.2d 725 (1st Dep't 2004)
Don Buchwald & Associates, Inc. v. Rich, 281 A.D.2d 329; 723 N.Y.S.2d 8 (1st Dep't 2001)
Ripa v. Cathy Parker Management, Inc., 1998 WL 241621 (SDNY 1998)
National Amusements, Inc. v. Scottsdale Ins. Co., 253 A.D.2d 396; 676 N.Y.S.2d 590 (1st Dep't 1998)
Robbins v. Growney, 229 A.D.2d 356; 645 N.Y.S.2d 791 (1st Dep't 1996)
Avalon International Trading Corp. v. GST Receivables Management Corp., 220 A.D.2d 248; 632 N.Y.S.2d 95 (1st Dep't 1995)
Muriel Siebert & Co., Inc. v. Wilt, 158 A.D.2d 343, 551 N.Y.S.2d 32 (1st Dep't 1990)
Maviglia v. Inapart Properties Corp., 149 A.D.2d 482, 540 N.Y.S.2d 716 (2d Dep't 1989)
Eller v. Eller, 116 A.D.2d 617, 497 N.Y.S.2d 475 (2d Dep't 1986)
Art Board, Inc. v. Worldwide Business Exchange Corp., 134 Misc.2d 350, 510 N.Y.S.2d 973 (Civ. Ct. N.Y. County 1986)
Rubenstein v. New York Post Corp., 128 Misc. 2d 1; 488 N.Y.S.2d 331 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. County 1985)
Atlantic Bank of New York v. Israel Discount Bank Ltd., 108 Misc. 2d 342, 441 N.Y.S.2d 315 (App. Term 1st Dep't 1981)
Bankers Security Life Ins. Soc. v. Shakerdge, 49 N.Y.2d 939; 406 N.E.2d 440; 428 N.Y.S.2d 623 (1980)    
               
Personal interests

-Recreational distance runner from 5k to half marathon; beginner level student of Kung Fu.

 Social media

 See "Where to Find Ray Online"