Lawrence Abramson

Lawrence advises on contractual and commercial disputes, including arbitration proceedings and related jurisdictional issues, and is an accredited IFTA arbitrator.

• Acted for Natoora in an arbitration against Petit Forestier over the terms of their lease agreement for their vans.
• Acted for Telia in an arbitration against two individuals over the construction of a data centre which led to a reported case in respect of jurisdiction appeal https://www.casemine.com/judgement/uk/5a8ff74260d03e7f57eaa87d.
• Conducted numerous IFTA arbitrations.
• Accredited IFTA and AAA arbitrator and has sat as an arbitrator on several occasions.
• Provided advice on various litigation aspects in a multi-million-pound claim under a group income protection policy for a client involving complex arguments on assignment, liability, and quantum.

Lawrence advises on copyright and trade mark matters, defamation and reputation management, production and distribution agreements, and disputes involving minority shareholder protection, directors’ duties, and insolvency.

• Cairns v Modi – Britain’s first libel action over a tweet.
• Arief v Celador (‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?’ case) – a ten-day trial following Celador’s decision to unlawfully terminate its relationship with its Indonesian licensee.
• Universal Television v Flextech – a dispute over a contract for the Jerry Springer series.
• Advised a photographer on a claim for copyright infringement against a Magazine after a photograph was used for one of the copies in 1995 and subsequently on merchandise appearing in Selfridges.
• Made an application to the Culture Recovery Board (CRB) for funding, which was rejected, initially because it was claimed by CRB that the application did not meet the criteria of the scheme. Later, the reason was changed to an allegation that the client had not exhausted all other avenues for raising finance.
• Acted for Zaza Okuashvili in several actions against Bidzina Ivanishvili involving claims for conspiracy and numerous cross-border issues.

Lawrence is one of the leading litigators in the media industry in the UK, advising on both media and commercial disputes. He has extensive knowledge of all areas in this industry, including music, television, film, publishing, sport, and interactive entertainment.

• Warner Bros v Channel 4 (Clockwork Orange case) – still one of the leading cases on fair dealing involving a Channel 4 documentary on Stanley Kubrick’s notorious film.
• Lace and ors v Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (Enfield Riots case) – a claim against the police for damages sustained by video labels from the destruction of the Sony warehouse during the riots.
• Forstater v Python (Monty) Pictures (Holy Grail case) – a claim for rectification of a producer’s agreement against the members of Monty Python.
• Acted for client in a claim of copyright infringement against a leading UK TV production company who is alleged to have copied the format of a TV series for his own production.

Lawrence is one of the leading litigators in the music industry in the UK, advising on disputes involving performers’ rights, copyright, and music portfolio management and sales.

• Henderson v All Around the World – infringement of performers’ rights.
• Ludlow v EMI (‘Jesus in a Camper Van’ case) – a claim brought by Woody Guthrie’s publishers alleging breach of copyright in two lines of a Woody Guthrie song in Robbie Williams’ song, ‘Jesus in a Camper Van’.
• Fisher v Brooker (‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’ case) – a claim by Procul Harum’s keyboard player to be entitled to a share of the ‘60s classic ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’ which went all the way to the House of Lords, and was the last case to be determined by the House of Lords before it became the Supreme Court.
• Wienerworld v Polygram – remedies available for breach of copyright.
• Experience Hendrix v Chalpin – a case which went to the Court of Appeal on the extent to which a claimant who had not suffered any quantifiable loss as a result of being in breach of contract could nevertheless recover damages.
• Experience Hendrix v Times Newspapers – a ten-day damages enquiry in respect of a Jimi Hendrix covermount.
• Advised a pioneer of the UK music business on the sale of his entire music catalogue a company based in Tennessee. This involved negotiating heads of terms, advising on numerous drafts of the agreement, and dealing with post-completion matters.
• Advised the heirs of former bandmates of a well-known artist alleging copyright and performers’ rights infringement and seeking substantial damages. The claim is significant and worth many millions and will create new law on performers’ rights and the transitional provisions of the relevant regulations.
• Advised what was then the world’s largest adult entertainment company in connection with a passing off claim against the private chain of adult entertainment shops and in a misrepresentation claim against an internet search engine.

Lawrence is one of the leading litigators in the football industries in the UK, advising on both media and commercial disputes. He has advised on several claims against the Premier League.

• ITV v FA Premier League – an attempt by ITV to prevent the FAPL concluding an agreement with BskyB.
• ITV v BBC and Sky – a dispute over the TV rights to a world heavyweight boxing contest.
• Swiss Bank v FA Premier League – a claim for commission on the sale of TV rights.
• Acted for Peter Davies who claims to be the copyright owner of the club’s distinctive angular wolf’s head logo.
• Acted for a Middle Eastern drinks company that was mis-sold television advertising at Premier League football matches.

Recognised by The Legal 500 for Media: Film & TV 2024–2026

Recognised by The Legal 500 for Media: Music 2012, 2023–2026

Recognised by The Legal 500 for Intellectual Property: Trademark, copyright & design 2023, 2026

Recognised by Best Lawyers (UK) for Media & Entertainment Law 2009–2025

Recognised in WIPR leaders for expertise in IP, including patent, trademark, and copyright issues 2024

Recognised by The Legal 500 for Commercial Litigation: Mid Market 2023

Recognised in Who’s Who Legal for Entertainment 2023

Winner of the award for Copyright Impact Case of the Year 2019 (Kogan v Martin) at the Managing IP Awards

Recognised by Acquisition International Magazine at the Dispute Resolution Awards for Best in Commercial Media Disputes (UK) 2017

Recognised by Legal Business Legal Experts for Media & Entertainment 2012

Panel member of approved Independent Film and TV Alliance (IFTA) and American Arbitration Association (AAA) arbitrators