E. Leonard Rubin
Of Counsel
Chicago, Illinois 60604-2827
E. Leonard Rubin is Counsel with the law firm of Querrey & Harrow, Ltd., a firm that represents individuals and business clients worldwide. Mr. Rubin, who concentrates his practice in intellectual property, and specifically copyright, trademark, defamation, trade secret and entertainment law, resigned his position a number of years ago as Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Playboy Enterprises, Inc., where he had been for 13 years, to return to private practice. He has extensive experience handling negotiations, legal problems, internet implications and litigation in the copyright, communications, publishing, computer, music, television, theatrical and motion picture areas, among others. He is a Certified Mediator.
Mr. Rubin is a past Trustee and past President of the Midwest Chapter, and has served on the Executive Committee, of the Copyright Society of the United States. He has written numerous articles and spoken both in this country and abroad on copyright, trademark, defamation, entertainment and data protection issues. He is a member of the Chicago, Illinois, New York State and American Bar Associations, and is admitted to practice before the Illinois and New York state courts as well as the U.S. Supreme Court and the Fifth and Seventh U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal.
Mr. Rubin is an adjunct professor at John Marshall Law School, teaching Entertainment Law. He is a former Adjunct Professor at Northwestern University School of Law (Copyright Law), the University of Illinois College of Law (Copyright and New Technologies Law, Entertainment Law), and Loyola University Law School (Advanced Copyright Law). He is a past president and Board member of Lawyers for the Creative Arts (which provides free legal help to indigent artists, authors and composers), was a Director of CBA-TV Inc., and for 35 years was the director and co-author of “Christmas Spirits,” the annual social and political musical satire show produced by the Chicago Bar Association. Mr. Rubin is distinguished as AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell.
Education
University of Miami School of Law, JD, 1959
University of Miami, A.B., 1956
Professional Activities
Adjunct Professor, The John Marshall Law School (Entertainment Law).
Former Adjunct Professor, Northwestern University School of Law (Copyright Law), the University of Illinois College of Law (Copyright and New Technologies Law, Entertainment Law), and Loyola University Law School (Advanced Copyright Law).
Co-Chair/Speaker: "Understanding Copyright Law: Practising Law Institute, 2009-current.
Speaker: "Understanding the Intellectual Property License" Practising Law Institute, 2008-current.
Speaker: "Rights of Publicity and Entertainment Licensing" Practising Law Institute.
Speaker: "Copyright Law & Practice: Copyright & Trademark Issues in Virtual Worlds" 2008 Intellectual Property Owners Association Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, Sept. 21-23, 2008.
Speaker: "Rights of Publicity and Entertainment," Latin American Bar Association, Cartagena, Columbia, 2009.
Practice Areas
Intellectual Property for Business Entities
Bar and Court Admissions
Illinois
New York
U.S. District Court
Federal Trial Bar
U.S. Courts of Appeal, 5th and 7th Circuits
Supreme Court of the United States
Memberships
Copyright Society of the United States, former member of Executive Committee and President, Midwest Chapter
Chicago Bar Association
Illinois State Bar Association
New York State Bar Association
American Bar Association
Professional Activities
Publications
Bragging Rights of Former Employees
NEWS: Got A Secret? That's What You Think!
IP Update: The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals And The Definition of Sculpture
“Legal Issues for E-Commerce Start-Ups To Consider” IICLE Intellectual Property Law 2008 Edition Chapter 19
“Authors Guild-Google Settlement” The Licensing Journal, November 2008
"Federal Court Rules that Open Source Licenses Are Enforceable under Copyright Law" Co-author with John L. Hines, Jr., Intellectual Property Today, Online Edition, News, August 15, 2008
“What Copyright Law Is…And Isn’t” Practising Law Institute, PLI June-July, 2008 Understanding Copyright Law, 938 PLI/Pat 11
“Basic Provisions of Current Copyright Law” Practising Law Institute, PLI June-July, 2007 Understanding Copyright Law 2007
"The Problem with Protecting Industrial Designs" Intellectual Property Owners Association website, Member Articles and Reports, August 25, 2007
“Concise, Complete, Fun—On Copyright Law?” Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, February 6, 2007
“Rights of Publicity and Entertainment Licensing” Practising Law Institute, PLI October-December, 2006 Understanding The Intellectual Property License 2006
“Rights of Publicity and Entertainment Licensing” Practising Law Institute, PLI October-December, 2005 Understanding The Intellectual Property License 2005
“Database and Content Licensing” Practising Law Institute, PLI October, 2004 Understanding The Intellectual Property License 2004
“Licensing of Databases” The Licensing Journal 24, no. 6 (June 2004): 13-16
“Database Licensing” Practising Law Institute, PLI September, 2003-January, 2004 Understanding The Intellectual Property License 2003
“Basic Concepts Of Copyright Law” Practising Law Institute, PLI 2002, Understanding Basic Copyright Law 2002
“The Digital Millennium Copyright Act And The Internet” Practising Law Institute, PLI 2002, Understanding Basic Copyright Law 2002
“The Digital Millennium Copyright Act And The Internet” Practising Law Institute, PLI 2001, Understanding Basic Copyright Law 2001
“Basic Concepts Of Copyright Law” Practising Law Institute, PLI July, 2000, Understanding Basic Copyright Law 2000
“Basic Provisions of Current U.S. Copyright Law” Practising Law Institute, PLI July-August, 1999, Understanding Basic Copyright Law, 1999
“A Primer On Current U.S. Copyright Law And Its Applicability To The Digital Environment” Practising Law Institute, PLI July, 1998, Understanding Basic Copyright Law, 1998
“Ethics In Licensing” Practising Law Institute, PLI October 1997-January 1998, Understanding The Intellectual Property License, 1998
“Copyrights In The Cyber World”, Practising Law Institute, PLI 1997, Understanding Basic Copyright Law, 1997
News
Len Rubin contributes "Media and Broadcasting" chapter to IICLE Election Law Handbook
Q&H Attorney Quoted In National Law Journal Article on Michael Jackson Estate