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Jonathan Charles Balfus

also known as Jonathan C. Balfus
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Avvo Rating9.0
  • Santa Monica, CA
  • Licensed for 33 years
  • Free consultation
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About Jonathan

Jonathan C. Balfus is a seasoned litigator with an emphasis in complex business and intellectual property.  Mr. Balfus has extensive experience handling copyright, trademark, fair use, and rights of publicity matters all over the country. He has counseled individual, small business and large corporate clients regarding the strategic use and licensing of all forms of intellectual property. In the entertainment field, Mr. Balfus has represented clients in the television, radio, recording, merchandising and music publishing industries. For several years, Mr. Balfus represented Clear Channel Communications in a series of successful infringement actions over the expansion of national radio brands in California, New York, Illinois, Florida, Ohio, Georgia, Nevada and Texas.  More recently, Mr. Balfus has focused on new media, Internet issues, domain name and URL disputes, and copyright and trademark registration.  He regularly counsels clients regarding online transactions, commerce and advertising matters.  In his art law practice, Mr. Balfus counsels artists, galleries, collectors and curators in all aspects of the sale, provenance and reproduction of art.

Mr. Balfus graduated with honors from New York University’s College of Arts and Sciences (1985) and School of Law (1988).  While at NYU Law, he clerked for New York Appellate Court Judge Frederick T. Santucci.  He is a member of the State Bars of New York and California and is admitted to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. District Courts in the Central, Northern, Eastern and Southern Districts of California.  He is a member of the Beverly Hills Bar Association.  Prior to establishing his solo practice, Mr. Balfus was a partner with Weiss & Spees, LLP in Los Angeles.

Practice areas

  1. Litigation: 40%

    State and Federal litigation, appeals, arbitrations and mediations

    30 years, 80 cases

  2. Intellectual property: 30%

    Trademark and Copyright litigation, strategizing and monetizing, licensing, branding, domain name disputes, brand protection, registration and USPTO issues, infringement plaintiff and defense counsel

    29 years, 60 cases

  3. Business: 20%

    All aspects of business litigation: corporate dissolutions, shareholder/partnership disputes, vendor and supplier contractual disputes, merchandise, advertising, branding, performance and personal service contractual matters

    34 years, 75 cases

  4. Entertainment: 10%

    Music, performance and broadcasting industry contracts, disputes, licensing, litigation; attribution and IP issues, royalty, profitability and accounting disputes

    26 years, 50 cases

Contact

Jonathan C. Balfus, Esq.

100 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 700
Santa Monica, CA, 90401

      Resume

      License
      StateStatusAcquiredUpdated
      CAActive199106/09/2022
      NYCurrently registered 198907/09/2022
      We have not found any instances of professional misconduct for this lawyer.
      Avvo Contributions
      Legal answers1013
      Legal guides0
      work experience
      TitleCompany nameDuration
      PrincipalLaw Offices of Jonathan C. Balfus2013 - Present
      PartnerWeiss & Spees LLP2009 - 2013
      AttorneyFainsbert Mase & Snyder2003 - 2009
      associations
      Association namePosition nameDuration
      Beverly Hills Bar Association2000 - Present
      publications
      Publication nameTitleDate
      California Bankruptcy Journal“EXIDE Inside Out: New Third Circuit Decision Preserves Trademark Licensee’s Rights Following Licensor’s Rejection Under Bankruptcy Code §365”2011
      education
      School nameDegreeGraduated
      New York University School of LawJD - Juris Doctor1988
      New York University College of Arts & SciencesBA - Bachelor of Arts (cum laude)1985
      legal cases
      Case nameOutcome
      In re Karykeion, Inc., 435 B.R. 663 (Bankr. C.D. Cal. 2010)Motion Granted
      Citicasters Licenses, Inc. v. Cumulus Media, Inc., 189 F. Supp.2d 1372 (S.D. Ga. 2002)Won bench trial
      Wilkes v. Rhino Records, Inc., 133 F.3d 931 (9th Cir. 1997)Won summary judgment

      Reviews

      5.0 stars5.0 (11)
      5 Star
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      Review Jonathan Charles Balfus

      First class intellectual property and business lawyer

      5.0 stars

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      Fantastic

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      Superb

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      Best lawyer

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      Legal Help

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      Absolutely trustworthy and no-nonsense.

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      Practical, Realistic and Result Oriented

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      The BEST.

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      The highest professional recommendation

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      Skilled, cost conscious and results oriented.

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      Attorney endorsements

      (11)
      Are you an attorney? Endorse this lawyer
      Lawyer Somair Syed Alam

      Somair Alam, Litigation Attorney on Feb 12, 2017
      Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

      An exceptional litigation attorney whose reputation speaks for itself. Highly recommended lawyer.

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      Jonathan Jekel, Intellectual property Attorney on Dec 3, 2015
      Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

      Mr. Balfus is a frequent contributor on Avvo. What I appreciate most about his responses is his candor. Because Avvo is a public forum, we frequently encounter legal issues of dubious credibility. Mr. Balfus has no problem telling someone when they have no claim. I imagine this attitude carries over to his clients. Unlike many other attorneys who just cannot say "no" to a client, you can trust that Mr. Balfus will give you an honest, candid assessment of whether and to what extent you have a valid claim or defense. Therefore, I am happy to submit my endorsement.

      Lawyer Julian Cordero

      Julian Cordero, Unknown Attorney on Nov 17, 2015
      Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

      I endorse this lawyer. Mr. Balfus is a frequent contributor on the Avvo forums and provides countless great answers.

      Lawyer John Michael Phillips

      John Phillips, Unknown Attorney on Nov 15, 2015
      Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

      I endorse this lawyer. Lawyers who donate time on sites like this have a passion for the law and a compassion for the people they serve. Kudos.

      Lawyer Willie Stephen Graves

      Willie Graves, Litigation Attorney on Nov 15, 2015
      Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

      I endorse this lawyer.

      Lawyer Chris J Zhen

      Chris Zhen, Intellectual property Attorney on Nov 4, 2015
      Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

      Excellent knowledge of the law. I endorse this lawyer.

      Lawyer Mark M Hathaway

      Mark Hathaway, Litigation Attorney on Oct 20, 2015
      Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

      Jonathan is a worthy advocate with excellent presentation skills.

      Lawyer Michael Charles Doland

      Michael Doland, Intellectual property Attorney on Oct 16, 2015
      Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

      Although relatively new to Avvo, the answers of Mr. Balfus are consistently accurate, analytic, and customized to the needs of the Avvo asker. These are exactly the qualities that every client would look for when selecting an attorney.

      Lawyer Kalpesh J. Patel

      Kalpesh Patel, Intellectual property Attorney on Oct 14, 2015
      Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

      Mr. Balfus is an excellent Intellectual Property Lawyer. He is through in his advice and provides very helpful information. I would recommend Mr. Balfus to my clients who need an intellectual property lawyer.

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      Joel Tantalo, Intellectual property Attorney on Sep 29, 2015
      Relationship: Opposing Counsel on matter

      I was opposing counsel with Jonny in a small (dollars-wise) but very contentious business breakup involving intellectual property (the parties involved were musicians). It was much like a divorce, and the parties were very emotional about the dispute. Jonny and I were able to separate ourselves from the personal side of the case, speak frankly, trust one another, and ultimately settle a case on terms favorable to everyone so that they could go their separate ways. Despite the nature of the case, Jonny and I always got along. Jonny is a strong -- yet courteous and professional -- attorney. I certainly endorse him.

      Lawyer Kathryn Filkins Russo

      Kathryn Russo, Intellectual property Attorney on Sep 28, 2015
      Relationship: Worked together on matter

      Every time I have referred a client to Jonny I have had a great experience working with him. Jonny has extensive experience handling copyright, trademark, fair use, media, and rights of publicity matters. I would not hesitate to refer my clients to Jonny because he consistently and quickly delivers expert advice and my clients have been very satisfied working with him.

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