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THOMAS A. COHEN—RESUMĖ Employment 1991–present Law Offices of Thomas A. Cohen
Alternative Dispute Resolution Settlement Conference Panelist: Marin Superior Court Early Settlement Program Panelist: San Francisco Superior Court Voluntary Mediation Program Panelist: San Francisco Superior Court Mediator and Arbitrator: Contra Costa Superior Court Mediator and Arbitrator: Alameda Superior Court Arts Arbitration and Mediation Services Panelist: California Lawyers for the Arts Panel of Neutral Arbitrators: Kaiser Permanente Business Mediation Skills Training (BASF) Ron Kelly—40 hour training Effective Negotiation and Settlement Strategy (BASF) Maude Prevere
Civil Litigation, Entertainment and Intellectual Property Law Representative cases include WNED et al v. Vestron (class action representing several hundred filmmakers suing their distributor over foreign royalty allocations; Youngbloods v. BMG Music (music group suing record company for licensing royalties); Magnuson v. VideoYesteryear (film producer suing for copyright infringement); Rosenberg v. U-Haul (class action alleging false advertising); Tall Club of Silicon Valley v. Alaska Airlines et al. (B&PC 17200 action seeking exit row seating for tall people). Published cases: Magnuson v. Video Yesteryear (9th Cir. 1996) 85 Fed 3d 1424; Thompson v. Rodriguez (ND Cal. 1996) 196 B.R. 537; Western New York Public Broadcasting v. Vestron (1997) 661 N.Y.S.2d 555. Transactional work includes entertainment law contract negotiation for KTEH TV, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company and scores of individual photographers, writers, screenwriters, filmmakers and musicians. Former moot court instructor at Boalt Hall. 2000-present Ursack, Inc. President
The company makes and sells bear resistant food bags from bullet proof fabric (based on Tom Cohen’s U.S. patent) for use by wilderness campers. 1978-1989 Hammermark Productions Filmmaker (self employed)
Projects included: Massive Retaliation, 1984, Producer, director, general partner of the financing limited partnership. Dramatic feature film distributed on six continents. hungry I reunion, 1981, Producer, director, general partner. Critically acclaimed documentary about the legendary San Francisco night club. The River Why—a proposed feature film based on David James Duncan’s classic novel; Big Bill Tilden—a proposed feature film based on Frank Deford’s biography of the tennis champion. 1970–1977 KQED TV Director, Producer, Stage Manager Produced and/or directed for PBS or local broadcast: World Press; Gran Prix Tennis; Newsroom; Open Studio; The Final Arbiter and Newsroom of the Streets among others.
1969-1970 VISTA VISTA volunteer with the Oneida Indian Tribe of Wisconsin
Education 1989-1991 Hastings College of the Law J.D. Associate Articles Editor COMM/ENT Hastings Communication and Entertainment Law Journal. Note, Simplified Syndication for Stage and Screen published in COMM/ENT 13:3 (ASCAP Prize). Extern clerk to Hon. John Vukasin, U.S. District Court.
1988-1989 University of San Francisco School of Law McAuliffe Honor Society; Member, USF Law Review; Am Jur Awards: Legal Research and Writing; Evidence. Summer law program: Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
1973-1974 University of California, Berkeley M.A. Visual Design
1968-1969 New York University Special Student in Television and Film
1964-1968 Colorado College B.A. Sociology. Track team captain
Interests
Contractor/carpenter/developer of my hand built 3,000 square foot solar heated Mill Valley home; Board of Advisers: Bread and Roses; Former member of Board of Directors: Bread and Roses; Marin Arts Council; Independent Feature Project; Cow Hollow Foundation; National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (SF chapter). Married, two grown daughters, avid sports participant.
Publications and Awards
Non fiction articles published in: SF Chronicle Sunday Magazine; Mother Earth News; U.S. Open Tennis; Rod and Reel. Various screenplays. Northern California Emmy nomination for Newsroom of the Streets; Sundance Institute screenwriting finalist; Harrah Award from the SF Bar Association for The Final Arbiter. Regular columnist on entertainment law for Film/Tape World. Frequent panelist on entertainment law seminars.
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