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Specialist Guide to the
Global Leaders in Media Law Practice
Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek is one of the major commercial law firms in Germany.The firm has more than 400 lawyers, tax advisors and notaries providing legal services across eight offices in Germany as well as in Switzerland, with an office in Zurich.
The IP, Media and Technology practice group comprises around 60 lawyers, making it part of the Top-5 in the country according to size of practice. Media and entertainment is one of the legal areas that has characterised the firm’s identity and image for more than 30 years. The firm began its early work assisting foreign and national broadcasters, as well as investors, to step into the then liberalised TV-market. The same occurred a decade later when the telecommunications market opened and frequencies were granted to competitors to the incumbent.
Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek is a leading firm in satellite, cable and IPTV/OTT matters given, in all of these distribution paths, the practice group has assisted the pioneers.
The latest development is the move to the online gaming and gambling service market where – again – Germany has witnessed a substantial “game change” in 2022, expected to continued in 2023, after new legislation of the Federal States.
Notable Deals
Television/ Digital Media: The firm represents more than 20 broadcasters vis-à-vis signal users such as cable net-operators in copyright licence issues and daily business of broadcasters (including Bloomberg TV, CNBC, Deluxe Music, Euronews, France TV, Turner CNN).
Media Infrastructure: Satellite operators including Eutelsat belong to the traditional clientele of the firm, the same applies to European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency, the Housing Industry, such as SAGA GWG in relation to in-house network levels.
Platform and e-Business: Zattoo started its business as the first IPTV/OTT TV platform in Germany with Heuking and has been a client since. Likewise, TV Spielfilm (Burda), M7 (Luxembourg and ring AG.
Gambling Law: Stationary business (Veltmeijer Group with Gamestate Arcades) and online business (lottonet from Israel, OnGoing Media/Jaxx, pferdewetten.de AG) as well as incumbents in various countries (Lotto Hamburg, SAZKA Group) trust in the exceptional expertise of Heuking’s practice group.
Events/ Music/ Sports: In regulatory matters and typical contractual areas such as employment law, the firm advises DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga GmbH, clubs like VFB Stuttgart, Ticket Travel Network and others. The practice specialises in event matters working for concert agencies such as the Rock am Ring-Konzertagentur Lieberberg or Kiesgrube Event. In Music, the firm represents Metropol FM and others in regulatory frequency and distribution matters.
Partner Michael Schmittmann is recognised as “a sterling lawyer for gaming, IT, IP and telecommunications matters in the German Market” Mr Schmittmann has headed the practice group for more than 25 years and coordinates the Media and Entertainment team from Düsseldorf and Munich.
Contact
Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek
PartGmbB von Rechtsanwälten und Steuerberatern
Georg-Glock-Str. 4
40474 Düsseldorf
T: +49 (0)211 600 55-00
F: +49 (0)211 600 55-160
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