Mayer Brown partners named to Billboard’s “Top Music Lawyers” list

Mayer Brown Intellectual Property partners Paul Fakler and Jacob Ebin have been named 2025 “Top Music Lawyers” by Billboard. The exclusive list, featured in the music industry's leading trade publication, highlights the top lawyers in areas such as talent deals, publishing, streaming, and litigation

For the third consecutive year, Paul has been recognized for his work on high-profile music industry matters. He has played a pivotal role in representing Pandora in multiple prominent copyright infringement cases, including leading a Mayer Brown team defending Pandora in a groundbreaking series of lawsuits filed by comedians and their estates relating to the licensing of spoken-word comedy recordings. Paul’s experience also extends to a broad range of intellectual property matters, including defending major tech companies such as Google in copyright litigation, where he successfully navigated complex claims related to video game distribution and user-generated content, and representing music licensees in royalty rate-setting litigation before the Copyright Royalty Board and ASCAP and BMI rate courts.

Jacob is a leading lawyer specializing in copyright, antitrust, and complex commercial litigation, with a focus on media companies. He works closely with clients such as SiriusXM and Pandora Media, advising on musical works and sound recording licensing requirements. Jacob’s experience also extends to representing both traditional and new media companies in royalty rate-setting disputes, copyright infringement matters, and antitrust litigation. Additionally, Jacob advises the Television Music License Committee—an organization that represents the interests of approximately 1,200 commercial local television stations in music licensing matters—guiding negotiations and, if necessary, rate-setting litigation against performing rights organizations.

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