The Legal 500

Noerr has ‘an extremely broad practice’ and ‘a fantastic team with strength in depth’. It operates at the forefront of the sector, advising on emerging areas such as acting for a consortium of 17 production companies on building a video-on-demand platform. In terms of media transactions, the team advised BMG Rights Management on the bidding process to acquire EMI Records. On the litigation side, the team represented New York’s Museum of Modern Art in a copyright dispute with heirs of a German artist. This ‘top-notch’ team includes Johannes Kreile, Martin Diesbach and Ulrich Michel, who provides ‘clear and pragmatic advice’ and pursues ‘a business-oriented approach to get deals done’.

SKW Schwarz Rechtsanwälte has a comprehensive media practice allied to growing gaming expertise. Film production companies constitute a core part of the team’s client base. The team represented film distributor Telepool in litigation pertaining to movie rights exploitation, and successfully represented SWR in injunction proceedings. Lovefilm, Universal Pictures and Random House are also clients. The very experienced Mathias Schwarz heads the practice.

CMS has firmly established itself in the digital media space, where it is advising eBay on contract drafting and new business models, and represented publisher Heinrich Bauer against VG Media regarding electronic programme guides. It also advised Splendid Medien on 
video-on-demand matters, and acted for a global music industry company in copyright litigation. Winfried Bullinger and Pietro Fringuelli are recommended.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer excels at advising on transactional and regulatory matters, and has experienced an increase in antitrust-related instructions. It advised RTL on the proposed acquisition of Belgian VT4 and Vijf TV from ProSiebenSat.1, and acted for General Atlantic on a strategic partnership agreement with Axel Springer. It also advised Pearson on the acquisition of Stark publishing group. Klaus Beucher is the name to note.

Brehm & v. Moers has an excellent film 
and television practice advising production companies on contractual and licensing 
matters, and has picked up work providing comprehensive advice to game publishers. Other clients include authors and film directors. Name partners Wolfgang Brehm and Stefan von Moers are the key figures.

‘Outstanding when it comes to complex expert opinions’, Hogan Lovells International LLP frequently advises clients from the television, film and cable sectors. It represented Sky Deutschland during a bidding process for Bundesliga football broadcasting rights, and also acted for Axel Springer and ProSiebenSat.1 Media in proceedings against the Bavarian Regulatory Authority for Commercial Broadcasting. Christoph Wagner and ‘highly qualified media specialist’ Andreas Grünwald are recommended.

McDermott Will & Emery Rechtsanwälte Steuerberater LLP has ‘excellent expert knowledge’, and is particularly strong at the intersection of IT, telecoms and media, such as representing RTL in litigation regarding channel distribution. It represented collecting society VG Media in various controversies and litigations versus cable operators, and acted for film library Studio100 in controversy issues with co-production partners. Wolfgang von Frentz is ‘fast, pragmatic and reliable’, and Ralf Weisser is also recommended.

Olswang Germany LLP’s ‘services are excellent’, and span a wide range of content 
and technology-related media matters. It advised ZDF Enterprises on establishing a 
video-on-demand platform, and acted for CBS on an output licensing agreement with ProSiebenSat.1 as well as on licensing deals with Canal+, SBS, Rai, and Fox Germany. Viola Bensinger has ‘excellent cable sector knowledge’, Christoph Enaux has ‘in-depth knowledge of broadcasting law and platform regulation’, practice head Stefan Lütje is also recommended.

Highly regarded boutique Straßer Feyock Ventroni Deubzer has a wealth of expertise in matters including digital media, e-commerce and copyright matters. Clients include Condé Nast and ProSiebenSat.1. Robert Straßer has been ‘doing a fantastic job for years’, and Stefan Ventroni and Stefan Freytag are also recommended.

Taylor Wessing has established itself as a leading digital media practice, and advised longstanding client Google on the rollout of new products. The firm provides comprehensive advice to Bertelsmann. The practice also acts for numerous gaming industry companies. Gregor Schmid and Axel von dem Bussche are recommended.

Unverzagt von Have excels at film finance, where its clients include Commerzbank, and the team provides comprehensive media advice to film production companies such as Bavariapool. The team also advises Spiegel TV on television productions. Frank Eickmeier is ‘superb’, and Harro von Have and Andreas Pense are also recommended.

Bird & Bird has a growing practice on the regulatory side, and acts for household names such as ProSiebenSat.1 Media, which it recently represented in administrative court proceedings regarding third party broadcasting times. Deutscher Sparkassen und Giroverband instructed the team on social media matters. Fabian Niemann, Stefan Engels and Michael Stulz-Herrnstadt are recommended.

‘A fantastic practice featuring superb practitioners’, Boehmert & Boehmert has built on its renowned copyright practice to encompass digital and new media matters. Clients include US production studios and music producers. Jan Bernd Nordemann is recommended.

K&L Gates LLP attracts ‘an interesting caseload’, including representing PULS 4, ProSiebenSat.1’s Austrian affiliate, in music remuneration agreements with Austrian collecting societies. It also advised the association of private broadcasters VPRT on an agreement with GEMA. Martin von Albrecht ‘stands out’.

Lausen Rechtsanwälte has an excellent reputation for representing content providers, particularly regarding piracy matters, and recently acted for 17 publishers regarding online e-book piracy platforms. Clients also include various newspapers such as FAZ. Matthias Lausen and Martin Schippan are the key names.

White & Case LLP’s media and telecoms practice is particularly strong in regulatory and copyright matters. It regularly acts for Kabel Baden-Württemberg and recently advised Facebook on media regulatory issues relating to its German website. Norbert Wimmer is well regarded.

Well regarded boutique firm Damm & Mann has ‘an extremely high profile’ in press law and ‘fantastic standing in the market’. It mainly represents publishers such as Axel Springer, but also receives some instructions from individuals, and is acting for the former Greek minister of defence regarding libel law. Other clients include newspapers Handelsblatt and FAZ. Name partner Roger Mann is highly recommended.

Matthias Prinz’s team at Prinz, Neidhardt, Engelschall specialises in plaintiff representation, and frequently acts for members of royal families or politicians. Corporate clients of the practice include SAP, Audi, Siemens and Deutsche Telekom.

Bird & Bird has been thriving since Stefan Engels and his team joined in 2011. It is particularly adept at advising on matters at the intersection of publishing, entertainment and new media matters. The team represented dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur in disputes with news agency dapd, acted for publisher Wort & Bild in proceedings regarding misleading advertising claims, and continues to provide broad advice to publisher Heinrich Bauer.

Latham & Watkins LLP works closely with the firm’s media team and acts for longstanding clients such as the New York Times, which it is advising on jurisdictional issues pertaining to news articles. Another key client is publisher Spiegel, which the team has been advising on several contentious matters. Arbitrator Sebastian Seelmann-Eggebert is the key name.

Schertz Bergmann Rechtsanwälte represents individuals, corporations and publishers, and is ‘absolutely a leader in representing individuals in privacy matters’. It recently acted for WWF in a lawsuit against Random House regarding libellous accusations in a book, and advised Germany international footballer Lukas Podolski in a case against broadcaster ESPN regarding false facts. Christian Schertz heads the practice.

Kanzlei Prof Schweizer acts as legal department of publishing house Burda, providing comprehensive advice on a number of publications as well as online matters. Other clients include Fit for Fun, Tomorrow Focus Media and TV Spielfilm. Name partner Robert Schweizer is ‘an excellent lawyer’ and ‘a tough opponent’, and Stefan Söder is also recommended.

Taylor Wessing frequently advises publishers on technology and digital matters, including recently acting for Condé Nast on contracts for ePaper licences in relation to mobile apps. It also represented Yellow Pages publisher InMagazin in unfair competition disputes, and acted for publisher Stiebner in a dispute regarding the publication of photos. Reinhard Gaertner heads the practice.

CMS advises publishers and broadcasters 
as part of an integrated media team, and recently acted for broadcaster Rundfunk 
Berlin-Brandenburg in litigation regarding freedom of expression. The team provides ongoing advice to newspaper publisher Hamburger Morgenpost, including MOPO Online. Michael Fricke is ‘extremely well networked’, provides ‘outstanding quality’ and is simply ‘as good as it gets’.

Nesselhauf Rechtsanwälte represents individuals as well as publishers and corporations from a wide range of industries, including the healthcare, entertainment and sport sectors. Clients include publishing group Ganske. Name partner Michael Nesselhauf and the up-and-coming Stephanie Vendt are both recommended.

Raue LLP enjoys a great reputation for contentious press law advice to publishers and media groups, including copyright law matters. This young but already widely recognised team acts for major clients such as Axel Springer and Bloomberg. Jan Hegemann is the key contact.

Redeker Sellner Dahs attracted a high-profile instruction to represent former German president Christian Wulff in litigation, and also acted for ZDF in litigation regarding press coverage. Broadcaster Deutschlandradio is among the practice’s regular clients. Gernot Lehr has been ‘gaining recognition and market visibility’.