Michael J. Grygiel

Michael J. Grygiel co-chairs Greenberg Traurig, LLP’s National Media and Entertainment Litigation Group. He focuses his practice on media law, with an emphasis on defending news and entertainment organizations from newsgathering and publication-related claims, including defamation, copyright infringement and invasion of privacy matters. He also represents media companies and other clients in complex Lanham Act, trade secret and Internet-related litigation and counseling. As counsel of record, he has defended defamation and invasion of privacy cases in state and federal courts in jurisdictions across the country, including New York, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas.

Michael has served as lead counsel to media and other clients in bet-the-company litigation, including a nationally watched news aggregation copyright case and a trade libel action against a major medical device manufacturing company. He is experienced representing the press in a wide range of matters involving applications for access to civil and criminal court proceedings and records, as well as in freedom of information law cases in both federal and state courts. He has argued appeals for media clients in the First, Second, Third and Fourth Departments of the Appellate Division in New York State, the New York Court of Appeals, the Second Circuit, and the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts.

In addition to his media defense practice, Michael is the personal attorney for several prominent professional athletes.

Concentrations

•Media and First Amendment law
•Defense of defamation actions
•Complex commercial litigation
•Digital rights management
•Copyright infringement - litigation and counseling
•Advertising and Lanham Act matters
•Invasion of privacy and news-gathering claims
•Trade secret litigation and counseling
•Internet litigation and counseling
•Reporter’s and newsroom subpoenas
•Pre-publication review
•Litigation and counseling regarding social networks, blogs and user-generated content
•Anonymous/pseudonymous postings to news websites
•Right of publicity litigation and counseling
•“Hot news” misappropriation litigation and counseling
•Digital Millennium Copyright Act service-provider liability limitations
•Press and public access to court proceedings and judicial documents
•Freedom of Information Act litigation
•Professional athlete representation

Recognition & Leadership

Awards & Accolades

•Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, Media Law, 2007-2020
•Law360 Media & Entertainment Editorial Advisory Board, 2016-2018
•Listed, Super Lawyers magazine, Upstate New York Super Lawyers, 2007-2019
•Rated, AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5.0