Michael Roy Blaha - Santa Monica, CA
Attorney at Law Offices Of Michael R. Blaha
Entertainment Law Lawyers in Santa Monica, CA
2530 Wilshire Boulevard 3rd Floor Santa Monica, CA 90403
- Free Consultation
- 1 Super Lawyers®
-
47
Years
Experience
Santa Monica Entertainment Law Lawyer
Updated: 03/10/2026
Areas of Practice
- Entertainment Law 80%
- Intellectual Property 10%
- First Amendment 10%
Attorney Information
Overview
I am a sole practitioner who specializes in entertainment law, including both contract negotiation (transactional) and litigation. My clients include independent film and television production companies, individual producers, directors, writers and actors, as well as musicians, songwriters and record labels, authors and athletes. On the transactional side, I have acted as production counsel (drafting and negotiating all contracts from the development stage through completion), for several film and television projects and have represented both artists and companies in drafting and negotiating option agreements, underlying rights agreements, management agreements, distribution agreements, and many other types of entertainment contracts. My litigation practice has included representing plaintiffs and defendants in idea theft, copyright infringement, trademark infringement, rights of publicity, and defamation cases and in disputes regarding the financing, production or distribution of film, television, and music. I have developed and taught several different entertainment law courses as an Adjunct Associate Professor of Law at Southwestern Law School for the past 35 years, and I am a 2022 Southern California Superlawyer in Entertainment Law.
Awards and Honors
Honors
- Southern California Superlawyer - 2012
- Outstanding Adjunct Professor, Southwestern Law School - 2016
- Best Musical, New York Fringe Festival 2007 (“Bukowsical”)
- Grand Jury Prize Slamdance Film Festival 1999 (“Chi Girl”)
- Spirit of the Fringe (Edinburgh Fringe Festival) - 2005
Other Sources of Feedback About Michael Roy Blaha
Included on the 2026 Southern California Super Lawyers list
Past Lists
- 2025 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2024 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2023 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2022 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2021 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2020 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2019 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2018 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2015 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2014 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2013 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2012 Southern California Super Lawyers list
Education
-
Legal Education
-
Duke University School of Law,
Durham,
North Carolina, 1979
J.D.
Law Review: Law and Contemporary Problems, Editor, 1978 - 1979
-
Duke University School of Law,
Durham,
North Carolina, 1979
-
Non Legal Education
-
University of Miami,
Miami,
Florida, 1976
B.A.
Honors: cum laude
Major: Political Science and Accounting
-
University of Miami,
Miami,
Florida, 1976
Past Positions
- Columbia Pictures, V.P., Legal Affairs, 1982 to 1987, 1990-1992
- Lorimar Telepictures, V.P., Legal Affairs, 1987 - 1988
References
-
Michael J. Faber
-
Edward Perron
-
Professor Robert Lind
Classes and Seminars
-
Capstone Entertainment Law, Southwestern Law School, 2010
-
Financing and Distributing Independent Film, Southwestern Law School, 2008 - 2012
- Entertainment Litigation, 2017
Pro Bono Activities
- Board of Directors, Impro Theatre, 2021 - present
- Board of Directors, New Musicals, Inc. 2005 - present
- Board of Directors, Filmmakers Alliance, 2007 - 2012
Representative Clients
Bloody Marvelous Productions
Flavor Unit Entertainment/Queen Latifah
Millenia Pictures
Tableland Pictures
Wasserman Media Group
World of Dance
Vega, Baby! Releasing
Rui Hachimura
Philippe Mora
J.D. Shapiro
Matt Young
Representative Cases
-
Elvis Presley Enterprises v. Passport Video
- Citation: 349 F.3d 622
- Court: 9th Circuit
- Year: 2003
-
Kiss Catalog v. Passport Int'l Distribution
- Citation: 350 F.Supp.2d 823
- Court: USDC C.D. Cal
- Year: 2004
-
Hyatt v. Cheezy Flicks Entm't, LLC
- Citation: 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 161134
- Court: USDC C.D. Cal
- Year: 2016
-
Heritage Lace, Inc. v. Underwraps Costume Corp.
- Citation: U.S. Dist. LEXIS 139147
- Court: USDC S.D.N.Y.
- Year: 2019
Ancillary Businesses
Producer's Representative
Film and Stage Producer
Bar Admissions
- California, 1979
- U.S. District Court Central District of California, 1980
- U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 1996
- U.S. Supreme Court, 1998
Contact
2530 Wilshire Boulevard
3rd Floor
Santa Monica, CA 90403
Phone: 800-419-3013
Fax: 310-496-2662
Email: Send a message
Website: https://www.blahalaw.com
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