Firm Profile

Bogatin, Corman & Gold is a law firm unique for its variety of practice areas, breadth of perspective and depth of experience. We have established expertise in entertainment and intellectual property law, a wealth of experience in labor and employment law, and active practices in commercial litigation and personal injury. We provide legal counseling and litigation services to a diverse cross-section of clients including creative artists, persons involved in employment disputes, entrepreneurs and companies. While the three partners, M.J. Bogatin, William Corman and Andrew Gold, have different areas of emphasis, our distinctive combination of skills and backgrounds allows us to provide our clients with comprehensive service in a broad array of matters.

Before coming together as partners in 1995, we each practiced for many years in a variety of settings, honing our individual skills as attorneys. M.J. Bogatin has an outstanding reputation as a representative of hundreds of local and internationally recognized performers, artists and writers. William Corman is a nationally known labor and employment law advocate who has represented thousands of clients with employment-related claims in trial and appellate court proceedings. Andrew Gold combines his years of experience as a “big firm” commercial litigator with his arts and entertainment background to provide valuable counsel and advocacy for an eclectic mix of intellectual property and commercial clients.

Because of the diversity of our practice, we provide a broad array of counsel to our clients in a variety of matters. For example, a client having an employment contract problem may also have questions about intellectual property issues. A multi-media business client may want advice about its employee personnel policies. An artist client may have suffered bodily injuries as a result of a vehicle collision or other accident. BCG is experienced in providing counsel in all these areas.

As a firm, we are committed to remaining small in size and personally accessible to our clients. We know from experience that a direct “hands-on” approach with our clients allows us to best understand them and their needs. We pride ourselves on providing services that are sensitive to both our clients’ legal requirements and their economic circumstances.

In February 2001, after many years in San Francisco, we relocated our main office to downtown Oakland. We invite you to contact us to see if we can assist you with your legal needs.

Contact Bogatin, Corman & Gold

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Intellectual Property Law Links

Copyright Resources

• U.S. Copyright Law
• U.S. Copyright Office
• U.S. Copyright Office Regulations
• U.S. Copyright Registration Forms
• Registration Fee Schedule
• Copyright Office Online Search
• Copyright Society of the U.S.A.
• Berne Convention (International Copyright Treaty)
• Universal Copyright Convention (International Copyright Treaty)
• World Intellectual Property Organization

Fair Use Information

• Fair Use of Copyrighted Materials: Wikipedia and Nolo
• Stanford Fair Use Center
• Bitlaw Fair Use Page

Trademark Law

• U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
• U.S. Federal Trademark Law
• U.S. Federal Trademark Registration Search
• Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure

Trade Secrets Law

• Trade Secret Law (Findlaw)
• Trade Secrets Basic FAQ (Nolo)
• Trade Secrets Homepage (Mark Halligan)
• Economic Espionage Act (18 USC 1831 et seq)
• Theft of Commercial Trade Secrets (Dept. of Justice)

Music Performing Rights Societies

• ASCAP
• BMI
• SESAC
• Sound Exchange

Music Mechanical Rights Societies and Collection Agencies

• The Harry Fox Agency, Inc.
• American Mechanical Rights Agency

Music Publisher Organizations

• National Music Publishers Association
• Music Publishers’ Association of the U.S.
• Nashville Publishers Network (NPN)

Other Music Industry Associations

• National Academy of Recording Arts And Sciences (NARAS)
• Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
• American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA)
• NAMM

Intellectual Property Organizations

• World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
• Intellectual Property Alliance
• Copyright Society of the USA
• IP Watch News

Intellectual Property Blogs

• ArtBusiness.com
• EFF Copyright Blog Posts
• EFF IP Blog Posts
• Furdlog
• IP Watchdog Fair Use Page
• Lessig Blog
• LawPundit
• M.E.L.O.N.
• NOLO IP
• Top 50 IP Blogs
• Weatherall’s Law

Domain Names & Registration

• Internet Corporation for Assigned Names & Number (ICANN) – List of Top-Level Domains
• UDRPlaw.net
• UDRPinfo.com

Arts and Artist Organizations, Unions and Guilds

• American Association of Museums
• American Guild of Variety Artists
• American Institute of Architects
• American Society of Media Photographers
• American Translators Association
• Americans for the Arts
• Art Dealers Association of America
• Art Dealers Association of California
• Artists Equity
• ArtSpan
• Association of American Publishers
• Association of Performing Arts Presenters
• Association of Talent Agents
• Authors Guild
• Broadway League
• California Arts Council
• Committee to Protect Journalists
• Copyright Clearance Center
• Council of Fashion Designers of America
• Council of Foundations
• Dramatists Guild of America
• First Amendment Project
• Greeting Card Association (Int’l)
• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees
• International Foundation of Art Research
• Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas
• League of Residential Theatres
• National Association of Science Writers
• National Writers Union
• New Dramatists
• Off-Broadway League
• Precita Eyes Murals Resource Center
• Pro Arts
• Rayko Photo Center
• San Francisco Art Commission
• San Francisco Film Society
• Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
• Screen Actors Guild
• Sculptor.org
• Songwriters Guild of America
• Stage Directors and Choreographers Society
• Theatre Bay Area
• Theatre Communications Group
• United Scenic Artists, Local 829
• Western Arts Alliance
• Wattpad
• Western States Arts Federation
• Writers Guild of America

Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts Organizations

• California: California Lawyers for the Arts (San Francisco) (Santa Monica) and (Sacramento)
• Colorado: Colorado Lawyers for the Arts
• District of Columbia: Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts
• Florida: Legal Art (Miami Beach) and Florida Lawyers for the Arts (St. Petersburg)
• Georgia: Georgia Lawyers for the Arts
• Illinois: Lawyers for the Creative Arts
• Indiana: Creative Arts Legal League
• Iowa: Iowa Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
• Kansas: Kansas City Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts
• Louisiana: Louisiana Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
• Maine: Maine Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
• Maryland: Maryland Lawyers for the Arts
• Massachusetts: Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts of Massachusetts
• Michigan: ArtServe Michigan
• Minnesota: Springboard for the Arts
• Missouri: Kansas City Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts and St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts
• New Hampshire: New Hampshire Business Committee for the Arts
• New Jersey: New Jersey Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
• New York: Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
• Ohio: Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts Program
• Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts and Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council
• Rhode Island: Ocean State Lawyers for the Arts
• Tennessee: Tennessee Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
• Texas: Texas Accountants & Lawyers for the Arts
• Washington: Washington Lawyers for the Arts
• Wisconsin: Arts Wisconsin

Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts Organizations

California: California Lawyers for the Arts (San Francisco) (Santa Monica) and (Sacramento)
Colorado: Colorado Lawyers for the Arts
District of Columbia: Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts
Florida: Legal Art (Miami Beach) and Florida Lawyers for the Arts (St. Petersburg)
Georgia: Georgia Lawyers for the Arts
Illinois: Lawyers for the Creative Arts
Indiana: Creative Arts Legal League
Iowa: Iowa Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
Kansas: Kansas City Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts
Louisiana: Louisiana Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
Maine: Maine Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
Maryland: Maryland Lawyers for the Arts
Massachusetts: Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts of Massachusetts
Michigan: ArtServe Michigan
Minnesota: Springboard for the Arts
Missouri: Kansas City Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts and St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts
New Hampshire: New Hampshire Business Committee for the Arts
New Jersey: New Jersey Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
New York: Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
North Carolina: North Carolina Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
Ohio: Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts Program
Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts and Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council
Rhode Island: Ocean State Lawyers for the Arts
Tennessee: Tennessee Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
Texas: Texas Accountants & Lawyers for the Arts
Washington: Washington Lawyers for the Arts
Wisconsin: Arts Wisconsin

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