Robert Harris is a founding partner and has been practicing entertainment and intellectual property law in New York City for more than four decades, representing clients in entertainment media, including counseling and handling transactional matters for theatrical producers and creative personnel on Broadway and Off-Broadway productions; and representing film and television producers and writers, playwrights, composers, book authors and publishers, and agents. Mr. Harris counsels clients regarding the protection, licensing, acquisition, use and misuse of intellectual property in a broad range of contexts and media.  His substantial experience in copyright and trademark law includes advising clients regarding ownership; clearance; analysis of rights under copyright in both traditional media and new media; selection and use of IP, trademarks, service marks, and Internet domain names; prosecuting trademark and copyright applications; and negotiating and drafting licensing agreements. He also offers counsel in the areas of the right of publicity, the right of privacy and defamation.

Mr. Harris has represented the heirs of both Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald with respect to trademark prosecution and merchandise licensing, and has supervised copyright and trademark enforcement and prosecution for a number of properties, including the stage musicals Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, and Miss Saigon. He has acted as production counsel or counsel to talent on over 100 Broadway productions including The Book of Mormon, Kinky Boots, Chicago, Hadestown, and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. His renowned writer clients in various media include John Irving, John Kander, Fred Ebb, Burt Bacharach, Dorothy Fields, William Goldman, and actor Stacy Keach.  

 

Mr. Harris is a graduate of New York University School of Law, former Chairman of the Entertainment Law Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York,  and a member of the Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Section of the New York State Bar Association. For a decade he taught entertainment law at Hofstra University School of Law; lectured for PLI and Commercial Theater Institute; and appeared as a guest commentator on Court TV. Together with his partner, Scott Lazarus, Mr. Harris authored the chapter entitled “Legal Aspects of Producing in the Commercial Theater” in the third and fourth editions of “Entertainment Law,” published by the New York State Bar Association, and reprised that role for the current edition. Under his auspices as Chairman of the Entertainment Law Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, the committee published "Music Rights Primer" (2003), explaining music and sound recording rights.

​

Mr. Harris has achieved the highest AV Preeminent (5 out of 5) Professional Rating from Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, has been recognized as a SuperLawyer since 2008, and has been selected by Best Lawyers as one of their “Best Lawyers in America,” including their current edition.