Lloyd J. Jassin

Blending Legal Advice With Business Insight

     Lloyd J. Jassin    

As a book publishing attorney and former publishing executive, I bring experience and industry insight to my clients. My primary objective is to empower authors, literary agents, and book publishers to secure more favorable book contracts and leverage intellectual property law to their advantage. I will let you know if a publishing contract or film option is viable and what it will take to make it sign-able. I’m also available to answer questions about licensing, ghostwriter agreements, film and television options, copyright termination rights, fair use, permissions, trademark, defamation, privacy and the right of publicity.

I also review unpublished manuscripts for potential defamation issues, and guide clients through the selection and  registration of their valuable trademarks. Whether selecting the title for a new book series or the name for a publishing company, I offer clients peace of mind by advising them on how to proceed ethically, legally and defensively.

I received my law degree from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 1991.  I am admitted to practice law in New York and New Jersey. I also practice before the USPTO, preparing and prosecuting applications for trademark registration.  

Upon graduating from law school in 1991, I worked for Viacom Enterprises, a division of Viacom International (now Paramount Global), the world's largest independent distributor of feature films and off-network television programming. Later, I joined the law firm of Cowan, Liebowitz & Latman, where I worked on copyright and trademark matters for high-profile clients in publishing, film, television, music, fashion, and licensing.

Before becoming an intellectual property attorney, I enjoyed a successful career in book publishing. During my tenure at Simon & Schuster ("S&S"), I served as Publicity Director for Prentice Hall Press, working with bestselling authors such as Simon Winchester and Gael Greene and branded book programs for successful franchises such as Frommer's Travel Guides, New York Public Library, and Time-Life Books. Before joining S&S, I was Associate Publicity Director, and later Advertising Director, at St. Martin's Press, where I worked with authors like Ntozake Shange, Ishmael Reed, R., Buckminster Fuller, Abram L. Sachar, James Herriot, Terry Pratchett, and cultural figures such as The Who, Hall & Oates, and June Carter Cash. I began my career in publishing in 1980 as a publicity associate at Macmillan Publishing. 

I am co-author of The Copyright Permission and Libel Handbook (John Wiley & Sons) with Steven C. Schechter and have contributed articles to Publishers Weekly and the Authors Guild Bulletin, and a chapter to the book Author 1o1: Bestselling Secrets from Top Agents (Adams Media). I've been quoted in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Forbes, Time Magazine, and other major publications. I've taken the stage at BookExpo and spoken at Publishers Weekly, Book Industry Study Group, Dramatists Guild, and Copyright Society events. I was an adjunct professor at the New York University Center for Publishing, where I taught a class on digital rights and permissions for four years.

I'm also an active member of the publishing community, having served as chair of the Center for Independent Publishing executive committee and as First Amendment counsel for the Independent Book Publishers Associations (IBPA). I currently serve on the Beacon Press advisory board.  

My understanding of the industries my clients operate in and my extensive network of contacts within the publishing, entertainment, and licensing communities set my practice apart. By leveraging this network, I can provide invaluable connections and insights to help my clients achieve their goals.

My office is located at The Paramount Bldg, 1501 Broadway, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10036, (212) 354-4442.  email: jassin@copylaw.org. I also maintain a practice in Madison, N.J.  

Partial List of Speaking Engagements

• Celebrity Lessons & Estate Planning: Copyright Termination, National Estate Planning & Legacy Week, Webinar, October 22, 2021, Dramatists Guild [Click here to view webinar]
• The Real Person in Your Play, Webinar, April 16, 2020, Dramatists Guild
• Representing Writers, Designers, Artists, Musicians, and More: Getting the Best Results For New Jersey's Finest Creative Minds, Continuing Legal Education Program, New Jersey Law Center, August 1, 2019, New Jersey State Bar Association
• Negotiating Book Publishing Contracts, Continuing Legal Education Program, June 28, 2017, Philadelphia Bar Association
• 2013: Getting Copyright Termination Right, Continuing Legal Education Program, The Copyright Society, Philadelphia, PA

ATTORNEY ADVERTING

"Books are the intellectual property headwaters of revenue streams as diverse as motion pictures, podcasts, and ways previously thought possible only in science fiction."  --Lloyd Jassin