Donald Zakarin

Practice Areas

Pryor Cashman Partner Donald S. Zakarin, co-chair of the Litigation Group and the firm’s Media + Entertainment Litigation Group, has been widely regarded as one of the country’s preeminent litigators in the music business for decades.

Don is and has long been one of the primary litigators turned to by major record and music publishing companies, including Capitol Records, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, Sony Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell, BMG, Kobalt, Concord, ABKCO, and Peer Music to represent them in complex litigation. In addition, Don has represented and continues to represent many of their most senior executives. Don has also represented major artists in copyright litigation and other cases, including, most recently, Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, Khalid, Ariana Grande, H.E.R., Halsey, Benny Blanco, Karol G and Ryan Tedder. Don and a team of Pryor Cashman lawyers are representing over 90 artists, publishers and record labels in a sweeping music copyright case in which the plaintiffs are seeking to claim ownership over the entire reggaeton music genre. In addition, along with partners Frank Scibilia and Ben Semel and other Pryor Cashman lawyers, Don has represented the entire music publishing industry and songwriters in the last two mechanical royalty rate-setting proceedings before the Copyright Royalty Board against Spotify, Apple Music, Google, Amazon and Pandora (Phonorecords III and Phonorecords IV), successfully securing an increase in the interactive streaming royalty rate for publishers and songwriters of some 44% in Phonorecords III and further increases in Phonorecords IV.