LOS ANGELES — George Borkowski, a lawyer who represented the record company plaintiffs in the high-profile copyright infringement cases against Napster Inc. and Grokster Ltd., has joined Venable’s Los Angeles office to serve as co-chairman of the firm’s national intellectual property litigation group.
Borkowski, who was founder and chairman of the intellectual property and technology practice at Los Angeles-based Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp, where he was a member of the governing board, joins the Washington-based firm as a partner.
“In terms of the kinds of clients I work for,” Borkowski said, “whether record companies or motion picture studios or, more frequently now, the video game companies, in addition to having strong copyright lawyers, there’s a need for strong patent and technology lawyers, as well.” He said Venable has a strong technology practice, both in Los Angeles and
Washington, where partner Roger Colaizzi will be co-chairman of the firm’s national intellectual property litigation group with Borkowski.
Borkowski joined Mitchell Silberberg in 1988. He was acting director of litigation for the Recording Industry Association of America from 2000 to 2001, representing the record company plaintiffs in litigation against Napster and Grokster, both of which were found to be liable for some level of copyright infringement.
He also has represented the Motion Picture Association of America and other entertainment firms in copyright infringement and piracy cases. He has represented record labels in copyright infringement, royalty and trademark disputes, and has handled patent, trade secrets and anti-piracy cases for video game, software and semiconductor companies.
Venable launched its Los Angeles office in 2006 with the acquisition of two Los Angeles firms: Gorry Meyer & Rudd and Whitwell Jacoby Emhoff.
