Matt Oppenheim, Managing Partner, O+Z
Contact Matt
  • Direct: 202.450.3958
  • Main: 202.480.2999
Education
  • J.D., Cornell Law School
  • B.A., University of Wisconsin
Bar Admissions
  • District of Columbia
  • New York
  • Maryland

Matt Oppenheim
Managing Partner

Matt Oppenheim is the managing partner of Oppenheim + Zebrak, LLP. Matt is a nationally recognized litigator who represents clients in a wide range of matters involving content, brands and related commercial and strategic issues.

Billboard magazine has named Matt multiple times to its distinguished “Top Music Lawyers” list, which honors lawyers on the front lines of the music industry's legal battles and deals. In addition, the prestigious, independent legal rankings agency Chambers USA has ranked Matt as a leading intellectual property litigation lawyer in Washington, D.C., noting that Matt “attracts plaudits for his successful IP litigation practice.” One source told Chambers that Matt is “an aggressive litigator, who is very pragmatic, creative in finding solutions and client-friendly.”

Matt also is ranked by Super Lawyers as a “Top Rated Intellectual Property Litigation Attorney in Washington, DC,” and in 2020, Matt was recognized as a “Titan of the Plaintiffs Bar” by Law360.

As a trial lawyer, Matt has served as lead counsel in obtaining many of the largest copyright and trademark verdicts in history, including a record-breaking $1 billion jury verdict against Cox Communications for the music industry, and a $34 million verdict against Book Dog Books for the educational publishing industry. On behalf of both large and small clients, Matt has argued and tried cases in federal courts nationwide, and negotiated resolutions of complex multi-party disputes for a wide range of clients.

Matt is regularly called upon to counsel clients in private on complex and strategic matters, and represent them in public on sensitive disputes. Matt’s long-time clients are some of the most prominent in the world in the music, educational, and publishing industries.

Matt and his law partner, Scott Zebrak, created Oppenheim + Zebrak because they had a vision that the practice of law should be different from what big law does. O+Z emphasizes real collaboration among colleagues to provide long-time clients with the best representation possible.

Prior to launching Oppenheim + Zebrak, LLP, Matt was a partner with Jenner & Block LLP in Washington, DC, where he co-chaired its Entertainment and New Media Practice.

Before his time at Jenner & Block, Matt served as the Senior Vice President for Business and Legal Affairs at the Recording Industry Association of America, where he handled a number of milestone cases, including both the Napster and Grokster cases. While at the RIAA, Matt was also called upon to represent the music industry in multi-industry licensing negotiations and at technology standard-setting bodies.

Matt began his career as a lawyer with Proskauer Rose, LLP as a litigator where he handled a broad array of matters, including trade secret disputes, director and officer liability litigation, intellectual property cases, as well as general commercial litigation.

At O+Z

  • Sony v. Cox
    Obtained a $1 billion jury verdict for Universal Music Group, Sony Music, Warner Music, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV, and Warner Chappell against Cox Communications, based on its contributory and vicarious infringement of over 10,000 copyrights. This verdict was reportedly the 5th largest jury verdict in the United States in 2019. (Eastern District of Virginia)
  • Cengage v. Book Dog Books
    Obtained a $34.2 million jury verdict against a U.S. commercial distributor for willful trademark and infringement, along with a fee award and a permanent injunction against any further infringement. This trial was fundamental to the publishing industry’s fight to ensure distributors adequately safeguard against counterfeits. Represented Cengage Learning, McGraw-Hill Education, Pearson, and John Wiley & Sons. (Southern District of New York)
  • John Wiley & Sons v. Rivadeneyra
    Successfully litigated against an international network of fraudulent companies created to illegally purchase and distribute gray market goods. Represented Cengage Learning, McGraw-Hill Education, and Pearson. (District of New Jersey)
  • Bedford Freeman & Worth v. Does 1-30
    Copyright litigation for Cengage Learning, Elsevier, Macmillan Learning, McGraw-Hill Global Education, and Pearson against anonymous websites selling infringing copies of eBooks through Google Shopping. (Southern District of New York)
  • Warner Records v. Charter Communications
    Copyright litigation for the major record labels (UMG, Sony Music, Warner Music) and music publishers (UMPG, Sony/ATV, and Warner Chappell) against Charter Communications, alleging it turned a blind eye to its subscribers’ repeated infringement. (District of Colorado)
  • UMG Recordings v. Bright House Networks
    Copyright litigation for the major record labels (UMG, Sony Music, Warner Music) and music publishers (UMPG, Sony/ATV, and Warner Chappell) against Bright House Networks, alleging it turned a blind eye to its subscribers’ repeated infringement. (Middle District of Florida)
  • Anti-Counterfeit Best Practices
    Developed and obtained widespread adoption of industry best practices against counterfeiting. Represented the nation’s leading educational publishers.
    See www.stopcounterfeitbooks.com.
  • Higher Education Publishers’ Online Anti-Piracy Enforcement
    Successfully brought dozens of lawsuits in courts throughout the country against commercial suppliers and sellers of counterfeits. Venues have included federal district courts in Arkansas, California, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Represented different combinations of the nation’s leading educational publishers.
  • HTC v. Universal Music Enterprises
    Successfully represented Universal Music Group in litigation over the use of Nina Simone recordings in a major advertising campaign. (Southern District of New York)
  • Sony Music v. Screenplay
    Successfully represented Sony Music Entertainment in copyright litigation against an aggregator of music videos. (Southern District of New York)
  • Warner Music v. Scorpio Music
    Successfully represented Warner Music Group in litigation against a commercial distributor concerning music albums by band Black Sabbath. (Southern District of New York)
  • Atlantic v. Konami
    Successfully represented Atlantic Recording Corporation, Bad Boy Records, LLC, Elektra Entertainment Group Inc., Warner Bros. Records Inc., and Warner Music Group Corp. in copyright litigation against major video game company. (Southern District of New York)
  • John Wiley & Sons v. Kirtsaeng
    Successfully defeated a multi-million-dollar attorney fee petition following a negative Supreme Court ruling. Represented John Wiley & Sons. (Southern District of New York)
  • Hoops v. SIIA
    Successfully defended against state law tort claims based on an allegedly improper takedown notice sent to an online marketplace. Represented the Software & Information Industry Association. (Eastern District of Tennessee)
  • Cengage v. Follett
    Successfully represented Cengage Learning, McGraw-Hill Global Education, and Pearson in litigation against one of the largest book distributors in the country. (Southern District of New York)

Prior to O+Z

  • A&M Records v. Napster
    Enjoining the Napster P2P network. (Central District of Columbia, Ninth Circuit)
  • Andersen v. Atlantic Records
    Represented record companies in putative class action regarding their anti-piracy efforts. (District of Oregon)
  • Arista Records v. MP3Board.com
    Represented record companies in copyright suit over linking to infringing recordings. (Southern District of New York)
  • Atlantic Recording v. Media Group
    Jury verdict of willful infringement against CD replicator for $136 million. (Central District of California)
  • Capitol Records v. Thomas-Rasset
    Jury verdict of willful infringement in Minneapolis for $1.92 million for unauthorized uploading and downloading of music on a P2P network. (District of Minnesota, Eighth Circuit)
  • In re Aimster
    Enjoining Aimster in multi-district litigation proceeding. (Northern District of Illinois, Seventh Circuit)
  • In re Verizon
    Litigated first 512(h) DMCA subpoena case. (District Court for District of Columbia, DC Circuit)
  • MGM v. Grokster
    Represented movie studios and record companies in Supreme Court, won 9-0 reversal. (Supreme Court)
  • Sony v. Tenenbaum
    Jury verdict of willful infringement for $675,000 for unauthorized uploading and downloading of music on a P2P network. (District of Massachusetts, First Circuit)

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