Since 2006, Ryan has been solving tricky intellectual property issues for pioneering tech / media / design clients. Currently, he’s a non-residential fellow of Stanford Law School’s Center for Internet and Society, and Vice Chairman of the Licensing & Technology Transactions Group, California Lawyers Association. Ryan’s intellectual property, litigation, and transactional expertise has helped clients including Kanvas Labs (acquired by AOL) create, protect, and market their creations, solve complex litigation issues, and negotiate complex agreements. Along the way, he has written for, or has been interviewed by, the likes of El Pais, Cognitive Times, and Digital Trends about tech/media issues such as how companies should tackle “deep fake” posts. He recently finished teaching a media law seminar at Pepperdine Law School. Prior to starting this practice, Ryan was an antitrust litigator with Milberg, Weiss, Bershad, Hynes & Lerach LLP in New York City, among others.
Representative Clients
Representative clients include: Taiwan based hardware manufacturer LegendSky Tech Company LTD; New York based Gelo Factory, L.L.C., a web development agency whose clients include Nike and New York Magazine; InstaBrand Labs (c/k/a “OpenInfluence”), digital marketing agency; actor, writer, producer Mr. Edward Burns, who starred in Saving Private Ryan; Northern Lights Post, a New York baed post-production company who produced of the award-winning film, Hello Lonesome; Mr. Ramble Jon Krohn (“RJD2“), composer of the theme music to AMC’s Mad Men; Ms. Chrisette Michele Payne (p/k/a “Chrisette Michele“), a Grammy award winning Def Jam recording artist; Mr. Richard Chai, a Council of Fashion Designers of America® (“CFDA”) member who won the 2005 Ecco Domani award; and Apiece Apart, a newly minted women’s wear company.
Education
Tulane University School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 2000
Articles Editor-Tulane Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property
Recipient of three American Jurisprudence awards for the highest grades in international intellectual property, advanced constitutional law, and business enterprises II.
University of Chicago, B.A, philosophy, with general and departmental honors, 1997
Areas of study: philosophy and economics
Dean’s list: 1994 – 1996
Philosophy honors thesis: The Practicality of Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics.
Member, Chicago Debate Team
Representative Matters
Corporate:
Drafted and negotiated operating and other corporate related agreements for Apiece Apart, woman’s wear company who has been written up in Vogue, among others.
Counseled Los Angeles based start-up Instabrand Labs, L.L.C., which promotes fashion brands like American Apparel on Instagram via promoters, on its market penetration strategy, corporate structure, and client/promoter agreements.
Advised the Lamonica-Baas Group, which is comprised of former Michael Kors executives, on an equity investment into a London based fashion brand that will be co-headed by a former Ralph Lauren head designer.
Negotiated a favorable five year commercial lease on behalf of a Mr. Richard Chai, a CFDA member who was the 2005 winner of the Ecco Domani® Fashion Foundation award.
Advised Beauty Stat, L.L.C., an online beauty community, on the issuance of company interests to various employees and contractors, in addition to the draft and negotiation of its operating and assignment agreements.
Advised Industrias Integratas, a Colombian based apparel manufacturer, concerning its rights and remedies under lucrative brokerage agreements with various American companies.
Intellectual property:
Counseled IronClad 360, L.L.C., a New York based web and software design outfit, on the use of open software under GPL, LGPL, MIT, BSD, and Apache licenses, in addition to the draft/negotiation of software license and client agreements.
Drafted and negotiated sync license agreements on behalf of producer Mr. Adam Reid and New York based Bodega Studios in connection with his award-winning film, Hello Lonesome.
Negotiated a favorable co-existence agreement on behalf of a junior federal trademark registrant with a common law senior user whose mark was prominently featured in a Bravo reality series , in addition to resolving potential contributory infringement claims against NBC.
Registered several trademarks for Donald Deal, Inc., a 20-year old CFDA fashion house whose clients include Lisa Kurdow, Barbara Walters, and Claudia Schiffer.
Litigation:
Represented an ex-Google privacy researcher in two class actions, one which alleged privacy and related claims totaling $5 billion in damages. Calhoun v. Google, LLC, 526 F. Supp. 3d 605 (N.D. Cal. 2021) and Brown v. Google, LLC, 525 F. Supp. 3d 1049 (N.D. Cal. 2021).
Successfully defended several Tumblr, Inc. users as third parties against pre-compliant unmasking in connection with alleged negligent infliction of emotional distress claims in an action titled Jane Doe v. Tumblr, Inc., which is currently pending in the Supreme Court of New York, County of New York.
Successfully settled a contentious Digital Millennium Copyright Act lawsuit brought by an Intel related company against client LegendSky after filing counterclaims alleging Sherman Act violations, among others, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Digital Content Protection LLC et. al. v. LegendSky Tech Company, LTD., 1:15-CV-10169.
Obtained a favorable confidential settlement on behalf of Mr. Ramble Jon Krohn (p/k/a “RJD2”), composer of the theme music to AMC’s Mad Men, after filing summary judgment in lieu of complaint in the Supreme Court of New York, County of New York against his former label. Ramble Jon Krohn v. Definitive Jux, Inc., et. al., Index No. 653430/12.
Represented Ms. Chrisette Michele Payne, a Grammy® award winning Island Def Jam recording artist, in a precedent setting appeal concerning publishing and recording contract interpretation in the Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department. Chrisette Michele Payne v. Douglas Ellison, et. al., 914 N.Y.S.2d 123 (1st Dep’t 2010).
Obtained the dismissal of a breach of contract complaint for Victory Audio Video Services, Inc. (d/b/a “Victory Multimedia”), a Los Angeles audio-visual distribution company, in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York. Drummond Smith v. Victory Multimedia, Index No. 08-602664.
Bar Memberships, Academic, & Pro Bono Experience
Admitted to practice in the states of New York, California, New Jersey, and Louisiana, in addition to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.
Member, The Association of the Bar of the City of New York.
Adjunct Professor of Media Law, Pepperdine Law School — Jan. 2020 – May 2020
Electronic Frontier Foundation — Cooperating Attorney — 2015 – Present.
Stanford Law School Center for Internet and Society, Non-Resident Fellow – 2014- present.
Adjunct Professor of Business Law, Hunter College, City University of New York – Fall 2012
Adjunct Professor of Business Law, Brooklyn College, City University of New York – 2007 – 2010
Legal Consultant, The American Enterprise Institute, Washington, D.C. – 2002 – 2003
