ISLN: 910645865
Member
Email: click here to contact
Practice Areas
Entertainment; Intellectual Property; Direct Marketing Law
Admitted:
1967, New York
Law School:
Columbia University, L.L.B.
Member:
New York State Bar Association.
Biography:
Recipient, Lawrence A. Wein Fellowship. Author: "Intellectual Property Rights in Music," Law Journal Video Seminar, 2003. Of Counsel, Serling Rooks & Ferrara, New York, NY. General Counsel, Portalvision, Inc., 2000-2001. Senior Vice President, Business and Consumer Affairs, The Columbia House Company, New York, NY, 1994-2000. Private Practice, The Law Office of Barry Jay Reiss, New York, NY, 1991-1994. Senior Partner, Meibach, Epstein, Reiss & Regis, New York, NY, 1989-1991. MCA, Inc., Universal City, CA and New York, NY: East Coast General Counsel, MCA, Inc., 1985-1989; Vice President, Merchandising Corporation of America, 1985-1989; Vice President, MCA Videocassette and Universal Pay Television, 1979-1989; Vice President: MCA Videodisc, 1978-1989; Executive Vice President, Infinity Records, 1977-1979. Administrative Vice President, Arista Records, Inc., New York, NY, 1973-1977. Secretary and Member, Executive Committee, Music For Youth. Member: RIAA Legal and Anti-Piracy Committees, 1973-1989; MPAA Labor Committee, 1977-1989; Direct Marketing Association, Government Affairs and Privacy Committees, 1994-2000; Association for Postal Commerce, Board of Directors, 1994-2000. Interviewed by Invitation, Forbes Inflight Business Channel Program, "Tribute to America's Best Lawyers," 2006. Member, Executive Committee, Music For Youth Foundation.
Born:
Bronx, New York
Barry is a graduate of Columbia College and received a Bachelor of Law Degree, Cum Laude, from Columbia Law School. After a short stint as a labor attorney, Barry entered the music business as a junior partner in the firm representing such artists as Herman's Hermits, Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix.
After five (5) years Barry was lured out of private practice by Clive Davis to join him at CBS Records where he became Vice President of Talent Contracts. When Clive left CBS he asked Barry to join him to help form Arista Records where he served as Administrative Vice President from its inception for its first five years.
When MCA Records decided to start an east coast record label ("Infinity Records") Barry moved from Arista to MCA as Executive Vice President of Infinity Records. When Infinity was merged into MCA Records, MCA asked him to stay on to help form its "ancillary" entertainment divisions. In that capacity Barry served as Vice President for Legal and Business Affairs from their inception of MCA Home Video, Universal Pay Television and MCA Video Disc. He also served as Vice President of Merchandising Corporation of America (the studio's merchandising arm) and of MCA's Trademark and Copyright division as well as continuing to service MCA Records' east coast operations. In 1986, Barry was additionally appointed East Coast General Counsel for MCA, Inc. responsible for all east coast legal matters for MCA Inc. and its east coast book publishing, toy and Spencer Gifts divisions. In that capacity Barry guided MCA's acquisition of Grosset and Dunlap, Playboy Books and LJN Toys.
In 1989, Barry left MCA to re-enter private practice representing such clients as U2, Valient Comics, The Allman Brothers Band and Universal Television.
In January of 1995, Barry returned to the corporate world as Senior Vice President of Business and Consumer Affairs for The ColumbiaHouse Company responsible for Business, Consumer and Government A