Kayvan Ghaffari is my go-to outside counsel. Not only is Kayvan an absolute pleasure to work with, he is also brilliant and highly skilled. He understands the needs of in-house counsel and provides useful work product that can be easily implemented and operationalized.
Kayvan Ghaffari regularly advises technology companies on venture capital financings, product counseling, intellectual property, tech transactions, cybersecurity, regulatory compliance, pre-trial litigation, and other general corporate matters. His practice spans the entire corporate life cycle, from entity formation to exit events, such as acquisitions and public offerings.
Kayvan represents entrepreneurs, emerging companies and established technology clients across a diverse range of industries, including artificial intelligence, blockchain/cryptocurrency, intellectual property, fintech, software licensing, open-source licensing, financial services, and other sectors. In addition to his company-side representation, he also counsels venture capital firms and strategic investors in connection with their investments in high-growth startups. In navigating the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence and digital assets ecosystem, Kayvan leverages his deep industry experience to guide clients through the complex and shifting regulatory landscape.
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Prior to joining Pillsbury, Kayvan was a technology attorney at the San Francisco office of two international law firms. He also served as general counsel to a web3 investment fund and venture studio and general counsel, corporate secretary and head of business affairs at an NFT marketplace startup.
Professional Highlights
Speaking Engagements
- “Crypto & Digital Assets” at Plug and Play Silicon Valley November Summit, November 2024. Panelist.
- Immersive Experiences Salon hosted by Jamestown, L.P., July 2024. Panelist.
- “Users Are Creators — Is AI blurring the Lines of Creativity in the Copyright Framework?” at Creative Commons NYC Symposium: Generative AI & the Creativity Cycle, September 2023. Panelist.
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Speaking Engagements cont’d
- “Legal Implications and Considerations Related to Likeness and Intellectual Property in Web3,” by Nasdaq TradeTalks with Jill Malandrino, June 2023. Interview.
- “Generative AI: Explosive Growth and Regulatory Uncertainty” at AI & Blockchain Summit, May 2023. Panelist.
- “Current IP Issues with NFTs” at NFT NYC, April 2023. Panelist.
- “Human Rights and Generative AI: Creators’ Rights and AI” hosted by Amnesty International and Fight for the Future, May 2023. Panelist.
- “Non-Fungible Token Study: NFTs and IP Management and Enforcement” by the United States Copyright Office, January 2023. Panelist.
- Industry Private Roundtable by Betaworks Ventures Management, LLC, April 2022. Panelist.
- “Navigating NFTs: How the Industry Is Addressing Unique Compliance Challenges Posed by Non-Fungible Tokens” at ACI Forum on Digital Assets Compliance: AML, Sanctions & Fraud, June 2022. Panelist.
- “Nonfungible Tokens (NFTs) – How High Can They Go” at Alternative Finance Summit 2022: Fintech, Blockchain and Crowdfunding, September 2022. Panelist.
- “Criminal Intent – Protecting Your Brand in the Digital Space” at ANA/BAA Marketing Law Conference, November 2021. Panelist.
- “How Security Teams and Counsel Can Successfully Navigate the Complex Challenges of Security, Trust and Safety,” at Nisos Advanced Persistent Talks legal videocast, November 2021. Webinar.
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Publications
- “MakersPlace and Transient Labs Debut Digital Provenance Tech for Physical Art,” NFT Now, November 14, 2023. Quoted.
- “World’s First AI Art Hackathon: Is AI a Tool of Artistic Expression?,” Unchained Crypto, June 20, 2023. Quoted.
- “See Inside the World’s First AI Art Hackathon, Where Artists Trevor Jones and Hackatao Sparked a Human-Machine Alliance,” Artnet, June 14, 2023. Quoted.
- “MakersPlace Launches Art Monitoring Service,” Doppel, May 26, 2023. Quoted.
- “Unleashing the Future of Art: MakersPlace Presents Groundbreaking AI-Generative Artistry,” StreetInsider, May 25, 2023. Quoted.
- “MakersPlace to Host Live AI Art Hackathon Featuring Hackatao, Trevor Jones, More,” NFT Now, May 25, 2023. Quoted.
- “Celebrities Shilled Crypto at the Top. Can They Learn for Next Cycle?,” Blockworks, August 18, 2022. Quoted.
- “SCOTUS Limits Scope of Computer Fraud Law. Here’s the Business Impact,” Cybersecurity Dive, June 4, 2021. Quoted.
- “Navigating NFT Brand Management Risks and Rewards,” Law360, April 30, 2021. Co-author.
- “SEC Telegram Injunction Is a Wakeup Call for Token Investors,” Law360, April 21, 2020. Co-author.
- The End to an Era of Neglect: The Need for Effective Protection of Trademark Licenses, 87 S. Cal. L. Rev. 1053 (2014), quoted in Brief of the Intellectual Property Owners Association as Amicus Curiae in Support of Neither Party, Mission Product Holdings, Inc. v. Tempnology, LLC, No. 17-1657, S. Ct. (2018). Author.
Education
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J.D., University of Southern California Gould School of Law, 2014
Order of the Coif; Senior Submissions Editor, Southern California Law ReviewB.A., Political Science and International Studies, University of California, San Diego, 2011
cum laude; Phi Beta Kappa; Provost’s Honors
Admissions
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California
New York
Languages
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Farsi