Tony Greenman was born in London and speaks English as his native tongue. He received his law degree from Tel-Aviv University in 1986 and is a member of the Bars of Israel (since 1987) and California (since 1992).
Tony is widely co
nsidered one of the foremost experts in the field of intellectual property, specifically copyright and trademarks, and in entertainment and media and internet law. He is the author of the textbook Copyright, which is the leading source of authority on the subject in Israel. The book has been cited hundreds of times in the courts, including 30 Supreme Court citations in the Supreme Court. Tony is also the Author of the chapter on Israel in Copyright Throughout the World (ed. Silke Von Lewinski, published by Thomson-Reuters and available on West Law).
Tony handles both transactional work and litigation. He is particularly active in the film and television sectors and acts as legal adviser to many production companies and creators. He handles rights issues, including format and remake rights, financing and distribution agreements and talent contracts. He has represented either the producers or creators of many well-known Israeli feature films, including Oscar nominees Ajami and Waltz with Bashir, box-office hits Zero Motivation and A Matter of Size, and other acclaimed films, such as Big Bad Wolves, Foxtrot, Lebanon, Nina's Tragedies, Shiva, The Syrian Bride, Walk on Water, Yossi and Jagger, The Unorthodox, Let it Be Morning and The Stronghold, as well as many leading television productions, including series such as Ananda, In Treatment, Yellow Peppers (the A Word), Zero Hour , Chazarot and Checkout (Kupa Reshit), game shows and reality such as Still Standing, The Chase, MKR and Couples Therapy and documeantaries such as Children of the Sun, The Flat, Prisoner X and Precious Life.
A more comprehensive list of films and series we have worked on can be found on IMDB.
Tony initiated the establishment of TALI, the copyright collective society of the Israeli film and television directors and screenwriters. He also represents leading authors, publishers and musicians and advises on matters concerning internet law, including IP issues, privacy and service provider liability, TOU's and privacy policies, domain name issues and matters relating to internet advertising and marketing, online trademark issues and social media.
On the litigation side, Tony has represented clients in a number of precedential cases. He was counsel for the Israeli Film and Television Directors in two precedential cases which established for the first time that directors are authors and first owners of copyright in their films and other works, as well as their rights to receive royalties. He was a key member on the team that successfully represented the Israel Sports Betting Authority in the defense of an action brought by the Premier League and other professional football leagues in England and Scotland, regarding the issue of copyright in their fixture lists. The case led to a precedential Supreme Court judgment examining the core issue of originality in copyright law and holding against existing precedent in England that the lists do not meet the originality standard. Additionally, he achieved a judgment holding that a pre-digital era assignment of publishing rights in the classic children's story, Hanna's Sabbath Dress, by the author Itzhak Schwieger Dmi’el did not cover the digital publishing rights. Tony also represents clients in hearings before the Registrar of Trademarks.
Tony also acts as a mediator and arbitrator in intellectual property disputes and is on the WIPO list of neutral arbitrators and mediators.
Tony is an adjunct professor at Tel Aviv University, where he lectures on Intellectual Property and as also lectured at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Haifa University and other academic institutions. He is frequently invited to speak on copyright, IP and entertainment and media law at both domestic and international forums, including WIPO, ALAI and the Copyright Society, the Institute for Continued Learning of Israeli judges, The Israel Bar and the Institute of State and Public Attorneys.
According to Chambers and Partners Global, Tony is "one of the leading copyright lawyers in Israel" and "has extensive experience in entertainment and media IP and internet-related matters".
Tony is the former chairman of the Israeli branch of ALAI, and a former co-chair of the board of directors of the international chapter of the Copyright Society of the USA, as well as a member of INTA, the International Trademark Association.
Tony is married to Professor Yona Greenman, has three children, plays golf and is a wildlife photography enthusiast. The main banner strip photo on this site of a European bee eater was taken by him along the Israeli coastal plain in spring. These natural works of art migrate to Israel at this time every year in order to breed, returning to Southern Africa at the end of the Israeli summer.
