- Franchise & Distribution
- Compliance
- Registration
- Intellectual Property
- Copyrights
- Licensing
- Technology
- Trademarks
Tal Grinblat
- Biography
- Publications & Speaking
- Memberships
- Awards
- Tal Grinblat is Chair of our Intellectual Property Practice Group, a Franchise and Distribution Law Specialist certified by the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization, a Certified Franchise Executive designated by the International Franchise Association, and a Shareholder at our firm.
His practice emphasizes trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property, as well as franchising and distribution. As an IP attorney, Mr. Grinblat assists clients with registering trademarks and copyrights both domestically and abroad, enforcing clients’ intellectual property rights, and recording registrations with the U.S. Customs Service. Mr. Grinblat also assists clients with domain name disputes and take down demands.
Mr. Grinblat represents:
- Food Service Franchisors & Franchisees
- Software & Video Game Developers
- Technology Companies
- Doctors and other Health Care Professionals
- Hair and Personal Care Product Manufacturers
- Technology Companies
- Artists, Writers and Photographers
From the franchisor side, Mr. Grinblat advises companies on possible structuring alternatives, preparing and updating disclosure documents and franchise agreements, qualifying for exemptions and registering franchise offerings where required. He also routinely consults on issues that arise during the franchise relationship, including terminations and non-renewals.
As Counsel for franchisees, Mr. Grinblat reviews disclosure documents, negotiates with franchise companies and consults and advises our Firm's clients when problems arise in the franchise relationship.
Mr. Grinblat has served multiple terms on the Franchise Law Committee of the Business Law Section of the State Bar of California, and served as Chair of the Committee in the 2008-2009 and 2014-2015 terms.
During his tenure on the Committee, Mr. Grinblat worked on two affirmative legislative proposals involving franchising – one which would make it easier for franchisors to negotiate with franchisees; and the other to allow franchisors to test the waters at trade shows without first having to register. He also submitted comments on legislation proposed by the North American Securities Administrators Association aiming to regulate the use of Development Agents by franchise companies, and made recommendations to the California Department of Business Oversight on how to treat development agents operating within the state.
Mr. Grinblat serves on the Executive Committee of the Business Law Section (BLS) of the California Lawyers Association (formerly of the State Bar of California), and is the current Vice Chair of Legislation for the BLS.
Mr. Grinblat is listed AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell, reflecting the highest ratings awarded for legal knowledge and ethics. The Franchise Times has designated him a U.S. Legal Eagle in franchise law each year since 2014. Mr. Grinblat has also been recognized by Super Lawyers Magazine, which has selected him as a Southern California Rising Star from 2010-2012, and a Super Lawyer each year thereafter.
After receiving his Bachelor's Degree with High Honors in 1994 from the University of California, Santa Barbara, Mr. Grinblat earned his Juris Doctor degree, magna cum laude, in 1997 from the Columbus School of Law of The Catholic University of America.
He is a member of the State Bar of California, the American, Los Angeles County, and San Fernando Valley Bar Associations, the American Bar Association Forum on Franchising, The International Franchise Association, the Los Angeles Copyright Society, and the Intellectual Property and Business Law sections of the California Lawyers Association.
Mr. Grinblat has written extensively on franchise, trademark and copyright matters and has been published in the Franchise Law Journal, the Los Angeles Daily Journal, San Fernando Valley Business Journal and New Matter, the official publication of the intellectual property attorney section of the California Lawyers Association.
- Quoted, Regulatory Watch: Gauging Legislative Impacts on Franchising - The Franchise Times, April 2021
- Featured - Franchise, Intellectual Property Law Special Report, San Fernando Valley Business Journal, March 1, 2021
- Author, Confusing Trademarks: The Next Course of Action - Valley Lawyer Magazine, a publication of the San Fernando Valley Bar Association, October 2021
- Co-Presenter - AB5: The Codification of the ABC Test - A Franchising Perspective, Webinar, Business Law Section of the California Lawyers Association, December 12, 2019
- Co-Presenter - So You Thought It Was a License Agreement...Craps! Avoiding the Franchise Surprise, 44th Intellectual Property Law Section Institute, California Lawyers Association, November 15, 2019
- Quoted, Trademarks Hinge on Cuban Embargo, the San Fernando Valley Business Journal, August 2019
- Co-Presenter, Ready to Franchise? Here's What You Need to Know, August 15, 2018
- Author, Confusing Trademarks: The Next Course of Action - Valley Lawyer Magazine, a publication of the San Fernando Valley Bar Association, July 2017
- Quoted, Backing Away from the Ledge After Trump - The Franchise Times, December 2016
- Co-Author, Music Publisher Caught in Birthday Suit Agrees to Settle - Valley Lawyer Magazine, a publication of the San Fernando Valley Bar Association, March 2016
- Co-Author, Selected Developments in Franchise Law - Business Law News Annual Review 2015, a publication of the State Bar of California
- Co-Author, Online Negativity: How to Fight Back - Valley Lawyer Magazine, a publication of the San Fernando Valley Bar Association, November 2015
- Co Presenter, Bad Online Reviews? Negative Internet Posts? How to Fight Back, Lewitt Hackman MCLE accredited Seminar Series, September 2015
- Co-Author, Finding Value: The Roles of Accountants in Franchising - The Franchise Lawyer, a publication of the ABA Forum Committee on Franchising, Spring 2014 Vol. 17, No. 2
- Co-Author, OPIP: When Is It Lawful to Use Other People's Intellectual Property in Franchising? - Franchise Law Journal, a publication of the American Bar Association, Vol. 33 No. 4, Spring 2014
- Co-Author, OPIP: When Is It Lawful to Use Other People's Intellectual Property? - Valley Lawyer Magazine, October 2013
- Co-Author, Nine Ways to Avoid Copyright Termination, Part 2 of 2 - New Matter (official publication of the Intellectual Property Law Section of the State Bar of California), Volume 37 Number 2, June 2012
- Co-Author, Nine Ways to Avoid Copyright Termination, Part 1 of 2 - New Matter (official publication of the Intellectual Property Law Section of the State Bar of California), Volume 37 Number 1, March 2012
- Co-Presentor, Accidental Franchises and How to Avoid Them- MCLE accredited seminar for local bar associations, law firms
- Co-Presentor, Franchise Law: An Introduction for Accountants - various Los Angeles accounting firms
- Co-Presentor, Brand Protection for Chambers of Commerce - United Chambers of Commerce
- Co-Author, Are Baseball Franchises Really Franchises? - Los Angeles Daily Journal, June 2011
- Co-Presentor, Franchising in the Current Economy - MCLE accredited seminar
- Author, Trademark Protection for More Than Your Name and Logo - San Fernando Valley Business Journal, September 2009
- Co-Presentor, Trademarks, Copyrights and Trade Secrets: What You Need to Know - MCLE accredited seminar
- Author, The Unintended Franchise and How to Avoid It - New Matter, December 2008
- Quoted, Firms Cash In on Franchising Boom - Los Angeles Business Journal, July 2007
- Author, Caveat Franchisor - Los Angeles Daily Journal, March 14, 2007
- Author, A Crack in Arbitration Contracts - Los Angeles Daily Journal, January 19, 2007
- Author, Clearing Up Misconceptions in Copyright Protection - San Fernando Valley Business Journal, October 24, 2005
- Co-Author, Avoiding the Franchise Surprise in IP Licensing Agreements - ABA Intellectual Property Law Newsletter, Winter 2005
- Co-Author, Be Prepared – Managing Catastrophic Risks in Franchise Systems - ABA Franchise Law Journal, Winter 2002
- Author, Counseling Risk Management in a World of Terror - San Fernando Valley Bar Association's Bar Notes, December 2001
Languages
- Hebrew
- Spanish
- State Bar of California
- American Bar Association
- Los Angeles County Bar Association
- San Fernando Valley Bar Association
- American Bar Association Forum on Franchising
- California Lawyers Association
- Vice Chair of Legislation, Business Law Section (2018-2020)
- Executive Committee of the Business Law Section (2016-2019)
- Franchise Law Committee of the Business Law Section, State Bar of California (2006-2016) - Co-Chair of the Committee, 2014-2015 - Vice Chair of Legislation, 2012-2013 - Chair of the Committee, 2008-2009
- Los Angeles Copyright Society
- AV Rating Preeminent,Martindale-Hubbell's highest rating awarded by peers of the bar and judiciary for legal ability and ethics.
- U.S. Legal Eagles 2014-present by Franchise Times Magazine
- Top 40 Under 40 Award, by the San Fernando Valley Business Journal, 2008
- Southern California Super Lawyer 2012-present, by Super Lawyers Magazine
- Rising Star, as selected in Los Angeles Magazine's Super Lawyers Edition 2010-2011
- Valley's Most Trusted Advisors Nominee, in San Fernando Valley Business Journal, 2015
- Top Rated Lawyers in Intellectual Property by ALM Media, 2015