M. Graham Coleman
Partner
Gray Coleman has more than 25 years of experience in intellectual property and general business law. He handles entertainment and media transactions including theater, film, and television financing and production, as well as music and publishing matters. Gray acts as production counsel for a number of independent films, television series, and specials; original productions for online/digital media; and theatrical productions on Broadway and elsewhere. Additionally, he guides clients in trademark selection, registration, licensing, and protection; copyright registration; ownership and licensing issues; manuscript/script review for protection in all media; and a wide variety of contractual arrangements for parties working in the above industries and other businesses utilizing intellectual property. He also assists in the licensing of name/likeness rights, famous trademarks and character rights; and in enforcement, litigation, and dispute resolution support in intellectual property infringement cases.
Practice Highlights
Entertainment productions
Media/IP acquisitions
Counsel to intellectual property owners
Admitted to Practice
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New York, 1984
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U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 1984
Education
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J.D., University of Virginia School of Law, 1983
- Virginia Law Review
- Order of the Coif
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B.A., Washington and Lee University, 1979
- Phi Beta Kappa
- Harry S. Truman Scholar
Memberships & Affiliations
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- Longtime member and former Chair, Theater/Performing Arts Division, Forum on the Entertainment & Sports Industries of the American Bar Association
- Current Chair, Board of Directors, Film Forum (nonprofit organization established in 1970, New York City's leading exhibitor of first-run independent films and classic film repertory)
- Board of Directors, Preservation Hall Foundation (nonprofit organization established in 2011 to support the musical activities of the iconic New Orleans jazz venue, and to preserve, protect and perpetuate the jazz heritage of New Orleans)
- Board of Directors, King Family Foundation (providing financial assistance to support film/television studies in undergraduate/graduate school around the country, in the form of individual student scholarships and direct support to schools for professorships, film festivals and other activities)
- American Bar Association
- New York City Bar Association
Professional Recognition
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- Named as one of "America's Leading Lawyers for Business" by Chambers USA in Media & Entertainment: Film & Television (New York), 2009-2011; Media & Entertainment: Theater (New York), 2012-2020; Media & Entertainment: Advisory (New York), 2021-2024
- Named among New York's Top 20 Entertainment Lawyers by The Hollywood Reporter, 2020-present
- Named one of the "Best Lawyers in America" by Best Lawyers in Entertainment Law - Motion Pictures and Television, 2016-present; in Entertainment Law - Theater, 2018-present; in Media Law, 2023-present
- Selected as a "New York Super Lawyer" in Intellectual Property, Thomson Reuters, 2023-2024