Law Office of Alan Korn

Law Firm Overview

Alan Korn graduated from the University of California at Santa Cruz (B.A. in American Studies and B.A. in Psychology, 1981, College Honors and Thesis Honors), San Francisco State University (M.A. in Broadcast Communication Arts, 1986, College Honors) and Golden Gate University (J.D. 1993, the National Dean's List, Who's Who Among American Law Students).

At Golden Gate University, Mr. Korn served as Issue Editor of the Golden Gate University Law Review: First Amendment Law Symposium, and wrote the Comment Renaming That Tune: Aural Collage, Parody and Fair Use (First Prize, GGU Nathan Burkan Memorial Competition).

From 1993 to 1994 Mr. Korn served as "of counsel" with the Law Office of Deena Zacharin, representing musicians, recording artists and numerous independent record labels. He was associated with Bogatin, Berchenko & Corman from 1994 through 1997, and a partner with Berchenko & Korn from 1997 through 2000. Mr. Korn's work focuses on intellectual property, business law, music, photography, art, copyright, trademark and multimedia issues.

Mr. Korn was associate counsel for the prevailing party in a significant trademark case decided by the Second Circuit Court of Appeal in New York, Jeffrey Milstein, Inc. v. Greger, Lawlor, Roth, Inc., 58 F.3d 27 (2d Cir. 1995), and together with Jeffrey A. Berchenko, counsel for the prevailing party in a copyright case also in New York, The Ernst Haas Studio, Inc. v. Palm Press, Inc. 164 F.3d 110 (2d Cir. 1999).

More recently, Mr. Korn was counsel for the prevailing party in the copyright case of Mendler v. Winterland, 207 F3d 1119 (9th Cir. 2000), affirming the rights of photographers to control the digitization of their work.

Mr. Korn's articles on legal issues for musicians (originally published for his monthly Internet column, The Fine Print, in Music World) are available on his Web site. He was extensively interviewed in the documentary film, Sonic Outlaws by Craig Baldwin (1995), addressing fair use issues arising at the intersection of copyright law, free speech and contemporary artistic expression. Mr. Korn also sits on the steering committee of the National Lawyers Guild Committee on Democratic Communications (CDC). Before becoming a lawyer, Mr. Korn worked as a songwriter, musician, recording artist and music journalist in the Bay Area.

Areas of Practice

• Intellectual Property
• Business Law
• Music
• Photography
• Art
• Copyright
• Copyright
• Trademark
• Multimedia

Published Works

• "Renaming That Tune: Aural Collage, Parody and Fair Use", Golden Gate University Law Review
• The Fine Print, Music World, Monthly Internet Column

Representative Cases

• Mendler v. Winterland, 207 F.3d. 1119 (U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit 2000)
• Jeffrey Milstein, Inc. v. Greger, Lawlor, Roth, Inc., 58 F.3d. 27 (U.S. Court of Appeals 2nd Circuit 1995)
• The Ernst Haas Studio v. Palm Press, Inc., 164 F.3d. 110 (U.S. Court of Appeals 2nd Circuit 1999)

West Practice Categories

Business & Commercial Law, Business Organizations, Entertainment, Sports & Leisure Law, Art, Intellectual Property Law