Draft:Jeffrey P. Thennisch

Jeffrey P. Thennisch (born September 12, 1967) is an American Intellectual Property Attorney, founder of the Thennisch Law Group (TLG), and the principal architect of Redemption Music Media, a socially conscious media content and musical portfolio monetization platform which advocates for individual artists and their families.

He has been named a “Super Lawyer” in the United States, a “Top Lawyer” in the field of intellectual property law as published in The New York Times, and is a Recipient of the “Super Lawyers 5-Year Milestone Award” as an intellectual property attorney. ,

During his 30 year legal career, Thennisch has authored numerous publications in the field of music rights and intellectual property law, including “Stolen Sounds From Stolen Lives” in Lawyers Weekly; “Policing Trademark Jacking On The Information Superhighway” in Law Works Magazine; “Using 21st Century Tools To Reclaim 20th Century Copyright Interests” in Lawyers Weekly; “State Regulation of the Infobahn" in Intellectual Property Today Magazine; "Legal Issues Involving the Internet" in Laches Magazine; "A Patent Primer" in Bar Beat Magazine; “Beware The Ideas of E-Mail” in Laches Magazine; "A Guide to Intellectual Property For The Costume Industry" in the National Costume Association Magazine; "Proposed Adoption of European Union Design Protection" in Intellectual Property Today Magazine; and "Recent Restructuring of International Service Mark Classification System" in Intellectual Property Today Magazine”

Early Life

Thennisch was born in Chicago, Illinois (USA) on September 12, 1967. In a 2023 interview, Thennisch shared that, since early childhood, he was “heavily influenced” by his mother, who Thennisch described as a “first-generation American and Depression-era kid that always instilled in me the need to have a profession … doctor, lawyer, or accountant …  and …. at some point … that finally stuck with me.”

Education

Thennisch is a graduate of the General Motors Institute (now Kettering University) in Flint, Michigan, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in 1990. 4  While discussing his career in a recent Kettering University podcast entitled:  “Drumming Up A Career In Motown:  Jeffrey Thennisch On The Musical Edge,” Thennisch laughingly admits that he “was certainly not the most serious student during my years at GMI.”

He then attended the Northern Illinois University College of Law and earned his Juris Doctor Degree (Cum Laude) in 1994 which Thennisch describes as the place where he found “his focus” in life.

Legal Career

Thennisch widely credits any success he has achieved as a lawyer to Professor David Taylor, his first law professor on his first day of law school, and the two have remained in contact for nearly 35 years since.6   In 2006, Thennisch was part of a group of alumni lawyers that successfully nominated Professor Taylor to receive the prestigious “Presidential Teaching Professor” award at Northern Illinois University.6   At the time, Taylor remarked that observing his former student practice law is akin to “watching your kid compete in the Olympics.”

Thennisch was particularly influenced by Taylor’s views about “how the law can be used as a tool to achieve social justice and equality in our country, and I try to instill in them a spirit of ‘if you work hard and do right, justice actually can prevail.’”

Political Advocacy Before the U.S. Congress & Congressional Black Caucus

Jeffrey Thennisch worked with the late civil rights activist and longtime Member of the U.S. Congress, John Conyers, Jr. (1929-2019) (D-MI) to develop new laws and legislation in the United States to ensure the payment of musical royalties to musicians and songwriters. 5  At the time, Conyers was the Ranking Member of the powerful “House Judiciary Committee” of the United States House of Representatives and a longtime fan of jazz and blues music.

Thennisch is a frequent presenter in the field of music rights law and served as a panelist at the 42nd Annual Legislative Conference of the of the Congressional Black Caucus in Washington, DC as part of the issue forum  “Unsung, Unshaken, and Uncompensated:  The Plight of African American Musicians” hosted by Congressman Bobby Rish (D-IL) .1

Restoration Of Legal Rights Under The U.S. Copyright Act

Jeffrey Thennisch is a longtime practitioner and supporter of the termination provisions of the U.S. Copyright Act, especially Section 203 and Section 304 of Title 17 of the United States Code. These provisions allow individual creators, songwriters, and/or their heirs to recapture and reclaim the “legal title” to their past creative subject matter.

Thennisch represents numerous Grammy-Award winning musical artists, members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in their efforts to reclaim their music publishing catalogs through the “termination” provisions of the U.S. Copyright Act.

His legal work has resulted in the redemption and return of copyright interests and music publishing rights for some of the most iconic pop music songs of the 1960’s, 1970’s, and 1980’s, including “The Tears Of A Clown” by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, “The Way You Do The Things You Do” by the Temptations, “My Cherie Amour” by Stevie Wonder, “Fingertips” by Stevie Wonder, “I Was Made To Love Her” by Stevie Wonder, Uptight (Everything’s Alright) by Stevie Wonder, “Ain’t That Peculiar” by Marvin Gaye, “I’ll Be Doggone” by Marvin Gaye, “Going To A Go-Go” by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, and the Motown classic “What Becomes Of The Broken-Hearted?” by Jimmy Ruffin.

Representation Of “Godfather Of Funk” & Lifetime Achievement Grammy-Award Winner George Clinton

Thennisch has represented George Clinton of Parliament Funkadelic and exercised the copyright termination process to restore the U.S. music publishing rights for some of Clinton’s most iconic songs, including “Atomic Dog,” “Do Fries Go With That Shake,” and “Nubian Nut.”    Thennisch also serves as the attorney of record for the FUNKADELIC, PARLIAMENT, and P-FUNK trademarks throughout the world. For his efforts, Clinton has referred to Thennisch as “the lawyer from heaven.”

Creation & Launch Of Redemption Music Media

In June 2024, Thennisch co-founded Redemption Music Media, LLC with Emmy-nominated film producer Rich Bornstein, music industry veteran Kevin Potts, and information technology specialist Rick Thompson.

Redemption Music Media functions as a music licensing and music publishing company for individuals and families that have successfully “reclaimed” their media and music publishing rights and serves as the business portal to socially and economically empower creative artists to “monetize” all forms of creative works and artistic media on a worldwide basis.