Henry R. Kaufman

Henry Kaufman, the principal of Henry R. Kaufman, P.C., has been a nationally-recognized leader of the publishing and media law bar for more than three decades.

Mr. Kaufman began his publishing law career as General Counsel of the Association of American Publishers where he represented the book publishing industry on both First Amendment and copyright law issues, including the latter stages of passage and initial implementation of the Copyright Reform Act of 1976.

While at AAP Mr. Kaufman helped to found, and thereafter served for fifteen years as General Counsel of, the Libel Defense Resource Center/LDRC (now known as the Media Law Resource Center/MLRC), a national coalition of media companies, media and journalism organizations and law firms focused on advancing the legal rights and interests of the media in the United States, in particular as regards their First Amendment rights.

After leaving the LDRC, Mr. Kaufman joined SESAC, Inc., the music performing rights licensing company, where he served as Senior Vice President-General Counsel from 1996 to 1999. At SESAC he dealt with individual and industry-wide licensing transactions, copyright infringement litigation and copyright arbitrations, and legislative matters in connection with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1999, the Copyright Term Extension Act and the Fairness in Music Licensing Act.

Mr. Kaufman’s current practice focuses on litigation and transactional matters for book, newspaper and online publishers, authors, artists, film and music industry clients, higher education and other individual, corporate and law firm clients covering a range of both First Amendment and Intellectual Property law matters, including defamation, privacy, publicity, commercial speech, access, reporter’s privilege, prior restraint, obscenity and indecency, and copyright, trademark, tradename, unfair competition, trade secrets, misappropriation and “hot news.” He also maintains an active pre-publication and pre-broadcast review practice.