Profile

Ari draws upon his experience in the areas of regulatory policy and compliance, transactions, and litigation, to provide clients in the communications and technology sectors with a holistic approach to their legal needs. He counsels broadcast, cable, telecommunications, equipment manufacturer, and investor clients on matters including spectrum policy, content distribution (including retransmission consent), network-affiliate relations, mergers and acquisitions, and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) enforcement actions.

Ari works with clients to identify and capitalize upon opportunities presented by new and developing technologies. As the television industry continues to find new ways to deliver content to viewers "when they want it and how they want it," Ari is at the forefront of that transformation. He advises leading television station owners regarding the transition to the new television broadcast standard, ATSC 3.0, which will allow broadcasters to transmit in 4K and better enable them to reach mobile devices and tablets. He also represents a leading technology company to advance the voluntary transition to all-digital radio.

Ari has also become a leading authority on spectrum auctions. He works with clients to formulate policy recommendations, and has drafted numerous and significant pleadings and advocated industry positions at all levels of the FCC. He also advises clients on all aspects of auction participation, from preparing applications, compliance with anti-collusion policies, and understanding auction bidding procedures and results.

Additionally, Ari represents plaintiffs and defendants in federal and state trial and appellate proceedings throughout the United States, including cases relating to trademark and copyright, contractual disputes, and administrative procedure. He regularly works with domestic and international clients to on issues related to the distribution of content over the Internet, including helping them to protect and defend their trademark rights and to advise them on copyright matters, including under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP), the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA), and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

Experience

Representative Matters

  • Advised Nexstar Media Group on its 2019 cash acquisition of TV station owner, Tribune Media, and its 2017 cash and stock acquisition of TV station owner, Media General.
  • Represents leading television and radio broadcasters in relation to FCC enforcement investigations: conducing internal investigations, providing strategic guidance, drafting responses, and negotiating consent decrees.
  • Advocates on behalf of broadcasters and equipment manufacturers in a variety of rulemaking proceedings, including media ownership, the voluntary transition to all-digital radio, the low power television digital transition, and the broadcast incentive auction.
  • Counsels broadcasters and cable programmers on agreements for program acquisition, network affiliation, syndicated programming, and news sharing. These negotiations frequently involve copyright issues relating to broadcast, mobile and digital distribution rights, and concerns regarding regulatory compliance.
  • Develops and executes strategies for protecting and enforcing trademarks and copyrights on the Internet, including prosecution and defense of domain name disputes under the UDRP and the ACPA, and defense against claims of trademark and copyright infringement. Representative reported cases:
    • Peterman v. Republican National Committee, 369 F. Supp. 3d 1053 (D. Mont. 2019).
    • Montblanc-Simplo GmbH v. Ilnitsky, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 24431 (E.D. Va. 2018).
    • Central Source LLC v. 15 domain names, 2018 WL 2770194 (E.D. Va. 2018).
    • 411 Mania.com, LLC v. Doe, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 147547 (E.D. Va. 2017).
    • Central Source LLC v. 10 domain names, 2017 WL 1337798 (E.D. Va. 2017).
    • GMF, Inc. v. gmf.com, 2017 WL 2525134 (E.D. Va. 2017).
    • Muscle Mass, Inc. v. Doe, 2017 WL 1532025 (E.D. Va. 2017).
    • Intercontinental Data Communications Ltd. v. Doe, 2016 WL 8674624 (E.D. Va. 2016).
    • Wagner v. Lindawagner.com, 202 F.Supp.3d 574 (E.D. Va. 2016), aff’d, 680 Fed. Appx. 240 (4th Cir. 2017).
    • Montblanc-Simplo GmbH v. Montblanc-outlet.co, 2016 WL 9175602 (E.D. Va. 2016).
    • Central Source LLC v. 33 domain names, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 53590 (E.D. Va. 2015).
    • Central Source LLC v. 12 domain names, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 104778 (E.D. Va. 2014).
    • Central Source LLC v. 227 domain names, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 110119 (E.D. Va. 2014).
    • Payless ShoeSource Worldwide Inc. v. Premier Success, 2014 UDRP LEXIS 773 (WIPO 2014).
    • United Press Int’l Inc. v. UPIphoto.com, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 189667 (Va. 2013).
  • Drafts complex agreements that advance client business objectives consistent with complex regulatory schemes, including asset purchase agreements, credit agreements, channel sharing agreements, registry-registrant agreements, and registry-affiliate agreements.

Professional Experience

  • Legal Intern, Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Office of Chairman Julius Genachowski (2009)
  • Segment Producer, ABC News and Good Morning America (2004-2007)
  • News Producer, Tribune Broadcasting (2002-2004)
  • News Producer, WPSD-TV (2001-2002)

Affiliations

  • American Bar Association (ABA)
  • Federal Communications Bar Association (FCBA)
  • Maryland State Bar Association (MSBA)

Recognitions

  • Included in The Best Lawyers in America directory of “Ones to Watch” for Intellectual Property Law (2021-2023) and in Communications Law (2024)
  • Named to Law360's Media & Entertainment Editorial Advisory Board (2019-2020)
  • Recognized in The Legal 500 US in Telecom and Broadcast: Regulatory (2019-2020) and Telecom and Broadcast: Transactional (2021-2023)
  • Recognized by Law360 as a “Rising Star in Telecommunications Law (2018)
  • Listed by Chambers USA as one of “America’s Leading Lawyers for Business” in Media & Entertainment: Regulatory (2021-2023), one of “America’s Leading Lawyers for Business - Up and Coming” (2019-2020), and an “Associate to Watch” (2018) in Media & Entertainment: Regulatory

  • Named one of DC’s “Rising Stars” for Communications by Super Lawyers magazine (2020)

Credentials

Education

J.D., magna cum laude, Georgetown University Law Center; Order of the Coif

B.A., magna cum laude, University of Southern California; Phi Beta Kappa

Law Journals

Senior Staff, The Tax Lawyer

Bar and Court Memberships

  • District of Columbia Bar
  • Maryland Bar
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas

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