Shapiro Arato has represented various defendants against copyright infringement claims over the song “Pound Cake / Paris Morton Music 2” by the artist Drake (and featuring Jay Z). The plaintiffs’ claims arose over a sample of “Jimmy Smith Rap,” a spoken-word recording by the late-jazz artist of the same name, that appears in “Pound Cake” … Read more
On May 26, 2017, Shapiro Arato filed a supplemental complaint against the FEC on behalf of Level the Playing Field (“LPF”), Peter Ackerman, the Green Party of the United States, and the Libertarian National Committee, Inc. Plaintiffs’ lawsuit challenges the FEC’s dismissal of two administrative complaints against the Commission on Presidential Debates (“CPD”), alleging that … Read more
Shapiro Arato partner Alexandra Shapiro and counsel Daniel O’Neill authored an article on the Supreme Court’s decision in Salman v. United States in the most recent issue of For The Defense, a publication of the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. The article, “Salman v. United States: The Supreme Court Leaves More Questions About Insider … Read more
Partner Cynthia Arato was recently named to the shortlist of nominees for the 2017 Euromoney Americas Women in Business Law Award in Media and Entertainment. This highly competitive award is given to outstanding women attorneys who are leaders in their respective practice areas. Nominees are evaluated based on their professional accomplishments and overall influence in … Read more
On April 13, 2017, the editorial board of The Charlotte Observer published an op-ed, which discusses the lawsuit filed by Shapiro Arato on behalf of Level the Playing Field, Peter Ackerman, the Green Party of the United States and the Libertarian National Committee to open up the presidential debates so that a candidate who is … Read more
On March 20, 2017, Alexandra Shapiro, who argued before the Supreme Court in Salman v. United States, participated in a presentation on the case for the Practicing Law Institute (“PLI”). Salman was the first insider trading case heard by the Court in nearly 20 years and resolved a split between the Second and Ninth Circuits … Read more
On Monday, February 27th Alexandra Shapiro appeared as a guest on the Independent Voter Network (“IVN”) podcast hosted by author T.J. O’Hara. Alexandra discussed the history of the Commission on Presidential Debates (“CPD”), the organization responsible for sponsoring the general election presidential and vice-presidential debates, and the lawsuit filed by Plaintiffs Level the Playing Field, … Read more
On October 7, 2016, Shapiro Arato filed its opening brief in the criminal appeal of former New York State Senator Dean Skelos, who was convicted of federal corruption charges. At trial, the government argued that Mr. Skelos pressured companies to employ or pay his son in exchange for “official action” in their favor. This “official … Read more
Partner Alexandra Shapiro was recently featured in the first part of a documentary series focused on third-party candidates in the 2016 presidential election. “Third Candidates” is a documentary produced by John Farrell and Jake Simms that examines why it is rare for a U.S. election to have more than two major candidates for president. The … Read more
Partner Cynthia S. Arato has been appointed to a three-year term as Chair of the Copyright & Literary Property Committee of the New York City Bar Association. The Copyright & Literary Property Committee addresses a wide variety of issues of concern to the copyright bar and to industries that are focused on content creation, distribution … Read more