Jonathan C. Balfus, Esq.100 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 700Santa Monica, CA, 90401United States (310) 314-5555

Jonathan Charles Balfus

also known as Jonathan C. Balfus

Avvo Rating9.0

Santa Monica, CA
Licensed for 32 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

Litigation: 40%
State and Federal litigation, appeals, arbitrations and mediations
30 years, 80 cases
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
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
Entertainment: 10%
Music, performance and broadcasting industry contracts, disputes, licensing, litigation; attribution and IP issues, royalty, profitability and accounting disputes
26 years, 50 cases

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Contact

Jonathan C. Balfus, Esq.

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

Message

Resume

License

State	Status	Acquired	Updated
CA	Active	1991	02/06/2022
NY	Currently registered	1989	02/25/2022

We have not found any instances of professional misconduct for this lawyer.

Avvo Contributions

Legal answers	1013
Legal guides	0

work experience

Title	Company name	Duration
Principal	Law Offices of Jonathan C. Balfus	2013 - Present
Partner	Weiss & Spees LLP	2009 - 2013
Attorney	Fainsbert Mase & Snyder	2003 - 2009

associations

Association name	Position name	Duration
Beverly Hills Bar Association		2000 - Present

publications

Publication name	Title	Date
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 name	Degree	Graduated
New York University School of Law	JD - Juris Doctor	1988
New York University College of Arts & Sciences	BA - Bachelor of Arts (cum laude)	1985

legal cases

Case name	Outcome
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

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Reviews

5.0 stars5.0 (11)

5 Star		100%
4 Star		0%
3 Star		0%
2 Star		0%
1 Star		0%

Review Jonathan Charles Balfus

First class intellectual property and business lawyer

5.0 stars

Posted by Warren Shiell
February 23, 2016

I first worked with Jonny back in 2004. Since that time he is my first call for any intellectual property or business litigation consultation. A very straightforward, effective, and clear-thinking attorney that you want on your side.

This review is from a potential client who consulted with this attorney.

Consulted attorney

Fantastic

5.0 stars

Posted by Susanna
November 12, 2015

Thoughtful and compassionate are the first two words that come to mind when I think of Jonny (along with awesome and a life saver) He is extremely helpful and guided me through the rough waters of a rather ugly situation, for which I am extremely grateful. He is genuinely interested in helping , which is refreshing and noble. Definitely someone you want on your side and defending you. I am more than happy to recommend him to anyone in need of legal assistance, especially in the area of intellectual property. I'd give him more stars if I could.

This review is from a potential client who consulted with this attorney.

Consulted attorney

Superb

5.0 stars

Posted by Connie and Michael
November 8, 2015

Jonny is an excellent attorney and wonderful person to have in our lives. He has helped our company in resolving complicated IP issues, and has also helped other members of our family in their legal matters. Jonny responds to all calls and emails immediately - something that is often missing with other attorneys. Jonny has a unique sensibility: a terrific sense of humor, a wonderfully calm and reassuring manner, and a deep appreciation of the personal impact as well as the business issues involved in a litigation. We strongly recommend him!