Michael Roy Blaha

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 Super Lawyers® Selectees Michael Roy Blaha included in a Super Lawyers® list 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 2026Southern 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

• 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

• Capstone Entertainment Law, Southwestern Law School, 2010
• Financing and Distributing Independent Film, Southwestern Law School, 2008 - 2012
• Entertainment Litigation, 2017

• 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
• 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

• 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

• California, 1979
• U.S. District Court Central District of California, 1980
• U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 1996
• U.S. Supreme Court, 1998