Mayer Brown Intellectual Property partner Paul Fakler was named a 2023 “Top Music Lawyer” by Billboard. The exclusive list, published by the trade publication of record for the music industry, recognizes the “savviest legal counselors in the business.”
A leading copyright lawyer, Paul has extensive experience in the music industry as it evolves due to fundamental changes brought by digital media. Paul advises companies on ways to adapt copyright laws to the latest technology, through litigation, counseling and government relations. He routinely represents digital music services and other businesses that use music in negotiations and disputes with record labels, music publishers and other rights holders.
Over the past 25 years, Paul has litigated several of the seminal cases creating new law for the application of copyright to digital media, and is currently leading a team of Mayer Brown lawyers defending Pandora Media in a group of novel cases addressing the licensing requirements for recordings of stand-up comedy. Notably, Paul is one of the few attorneys with significant first-chair experience handling copyright royalty rate-setting proceedings, including proceedings before the Copyright Royalty Board and the ASCAP and BMI rate courts. He obtained the only two royalty rate reductions ever granted by the Copyright Royalty Board (or its predecessors).
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