Dr. Stefan Ventroni

Phone: +49 (0)89 210 25 100
E-Mail: stefan.ventroni[a]svf-law.de

Dr. Stefan Ventroni

Founding Partner | Attorney at Law | Lecturer

Specialist Lawyer for Copyright and Media Law

Dr. Stefan Ventroni is a founding partner of the firm and is one of Germany’s most renowned attorneys for copyright, media and entertainment law. In lawyer and law firm rankings, he has been recommended and awarded annually for more than a decade as one of the best in his field. His long-standing clients include leading (nationally and internationally operating) companies in the film, music, media, IT and advertising industries in Germany and abroad, whom Dr. Ventroni advises, among other things, on the expert evaluation and contractual structuring of their business models. As a former corporate lawyer, Dr. Ventroni always keeps the strategic and economic interests of his clients in mind. In addition to advising on the conclusion of licensing and cooperation agreements with a focus on the areas of film, TV, music, games, publishing and advertising, Dr. Ventroni also represents his clients in litigation. He regularly lectures at the German Lawyers’ Academy and is the author of numerous publications on copyright and media law.

Expertise

Film & TV
Media Law
Press Law / Personal Rights Law
Games
Music
Publisher & Press
Advertising and Social Media
Competition Law
Copyright Law / Copyright Collectives

Vita

1987 – 1991 Law studies at the Universities of Augsburg and Munich
1988 – 1992 Editor and presenter in private and public radio broadcasting
1992 – 1994 Legal clerkship
1994 – 1996 Manager Legal & Business Affairs at Bertelsmann Music Group (now Sony Music)
1996 – 1997 Attorney at SKW Schwarz, Munich
1998 Co-founder and partner of the law firm Poll & Ventroni
2001 Doctorate (Dr. jur.) at the LMU Munich as a scholarship holder of the Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Property and Competition Law on the subject of collective and individual management of synch rights in the music industry
Since 2006 Co-founder and partner of the law firm Straßer Ventroni Freytag
Since 2007 specialist lawyer for copyright and media law
Since 2007 lecturer at the German Lawyers Academy (Deutsche Anwaltsakademie) in the field of copyright and media law
Since 2007 Member of the Copyright and Media Law Committee of the Munich Bar Association

Awards

Selection of Awards from the Last 10 Years:

The Legal 500 Germany 2023:
“Stefan Ventroni plays in the Champions League both professionally and as a person.”

FOCUS-Spezial Recht & Rat 2023
Recommended among the leading lawyers of the top business law firms in the field of media and press

Handelsblatt / Best Lawyers 2023
Recommended under “Germany’s best lawyers” for Entertainment Law, Intellectual Property Law, Media Law

Who´s Who Legal (WWH) 2023
Recommended as “Global Leader” for “Entertainment” and for “National Leader” for Sports & Entertainment

brand eins – Beste Wirtschaftskanzleien 2023 (Best Commercial Law Firms 2023)
Recommended for media/press

JUVE Handbuch (Handbook): Wirtschaftskanzleien 2022/2023 (Commercial Law Firms 2022/2023)
Awarded as “Leading Advisor in Copyright”.
“Often recommended” for “Contract and Copyright Law” and “Transactions and Financing” in the media sector

Legal 500 Europe 2022:
“has unique in-depth knowledge”, “a wealth of experience and an excellent network”, “always convinces with pragmatic solutions”

JUVE Handbuch (Handbook): Wirtschaftskanzleien 2020/2021 (Commercial Law Firms 2020/2021)
Awarded as “Leading Advisor in Copyright

Handelsblatt / Best Lawyers 2020
Recommended under “Germany’s best lawyers” for Entertainment Law, Intellectual Property Law, Media Law

Wirtschaftswoche 2020
Recommended as „TOP Lawyer 2020“ for Copyright

JUVE Handbuch (Handbook): Wirtschaftskanzleien 2019/2020 (Commercial Law Firms 2019/2020)
Awarded as “Leading Advisor in Copyright”.

Who´s Who Legal 2020
“first-rate work”, “is sought after by clients who admire his depth of knowledge in the areas of film licensing, copyright law and intellectual property rights”

Who´s Who Legal 2019
“One of the world´s leading practitioners in the field of Sports & Entertainment”

Handelsblatt / Best Lawyers 2019
Lawyer of the Year 2019 (Media und Copyright)

FOCUS Spezial 2019
Recommended among “Germany’s top business law firms” for media and press

LEGAL 500 / 2015
„great legal skills“

JUVE Handbuch (Handbook) 2013
“outstanding know-how in media and copyright law, exceptional professional attitude”; “experienced copyright lawyer, goes into depth”

Kanzleien in Deutschland 2012 (Law Firms in Germany 2012)
“[is] among the nationally and internationally recognized specialists in film and entertainment law as well as […] in music law.”

THE LEGAL 500 / 2011
„superb lawyer with fantastic legal knowledge“; „a highly regarded litigator“; „gets straight to the point“

JUVE Handbuch (Handbook) 2011
“plays in the Champions League of media law”

Publications

Publications in the popular press (selection):

DER SPIEGEL: Gesundheitslatschen als Kunstwerk? Von der schwierigen Grenzziehung zwischen Banalem und Schützenswerten im Urheberrecht
Gastbeitrag von Stefan Ventroni vom 04.07.2023

DER SPIEGEL: Darf man eine Rechtspopulistin „Bastarda“ nennen?
Gastbeitrag von Stefan Ventroni vom 13.12.2022

SÜDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG, 11.05.2012 (S. 15): Sie wollen doch nur runterladen – Warum die Piraten den Konflikt um das Urheberrecht im Internet auf das Filesharing verkürzen und was daran gefährlich ist

Professional publications (selection):

Zur individuellen Rechtewahrnehmung bei Bühnenmusik (On the individual rights management for stage music), GRUR-Prax 2022, 580

AGB-rechtliche Bewertung der Verlegerbeteiligung im GEMA-Berechtigungsvertrag (Evaluation of the Publisher’s Participation in the GEMA Entitlement Agreement under General Terms and Conditions Law), ZUM-RD, 2021, 321

Filmlizenzen im Zeitalter von Netflix & Co (Film licenses in the age of Netflix & Co.), MMR 2019, S. 359 ff

Konsequenzen aus den „Verlegerbeteiligung“-Urteilen für Musikverlage und deren Autorenverträge (Consequences of the “publisher participation” rulings for music publishers and their author contracts), in: Handbuch der Musikwirtschaft (C.H. Beck 2018), S. 823 – 836

Online-Videorecorder – Eine Herausforderung für das Urheberrecht und Fernsehsender (A challenge for copyright and television broadcasters), in: Zwischen gestern und morgen – Medien im Wandel / Festschrift für Matthias Schwarz (C.H.Beck 2017), S. 375 – 384

Paukenschlag zur Verlegerbeteiligung: Aus für die Verteilungspraxis der GEMA? (Drumbeat on Publisher Participation: End for GEMA’s distribution practice?), ZUM 2017, 187 ff.

Erleichtert die EU-Richtline zur kollektiven Rechtewahrnehmung den Erwerb von Online Musikrechten? (Does the EU Collective Rights Management Directive facilitate the acquisition of online music rights?), MMR 9/2012, S. 565 ff. (Editorial)

Die kollektive Rechtewahrnehmung in Europa muss einfacher werden (Collective rights management in Europe must become easier), in: Standpunkte zum Geistigen Eigentum, BITKOM (Hrsg.), 2. Auflage 2011, S.22

Rechteerwerb über Verwertungsgesellschaften, in: Recht im Internet, Schwarz/Peschel-Mehner (Hrsg), Loseblattsammlung, Ergänzungslieferung Mai 2011

Kommentar zum BGH-Urteil Nutzung von Musik für Werbezwecke, MMR 2010, 107 ff

Kommentar zum BGH-Klingelton-Urteil vom 18.12.2008 I ZR /06, 3/2009, K&R, S. 182 ff

CELAS – Revolution bei der Musikrechtewahrnehmung?, MMR 5/2008, S. 273 ff. (Editorial)

Die Rolle der Verwertungsgesellschaften bei der Auswertung von geschützten Inhalten im Internet und auf Mobilfunkportalen, in: Handbuch der Telekommunikation (2008), Franz Arnold (Hrsg)

Copyrights und Lizenzmanagement, in: Ökonomie der Musikindustrie, Clemens/Schusser/Papies (Hrsg), 2. Aufl. 2008, S. 59 ff.

Online-Auswertung von Musik: Grundlagen des Urheberrechts und der vertraglichen Praxis (Co-Autor), in: www.musikverkaufen.de, Rodriguez/v. Rothkirch/Heinz (Hrsg.), 2007

Kommentar zum BGH-Urteil „Alpensinfonie“, MMR 2006, 309 ff.

Urheberrechtliche Probleme bei der Musiknutzung im Internet, in: Handbuch der Musikwirtschaft, Moser/Scheuermann (Hrsg), 6. Aufl. 2003, S. 951 ff.

Musiklizenzerwerb durch Online-Dienste, MMR 10/2002, 648 (Co-Autor)

Auswirkungen der Urheberrechtsreform auf das Urheber(vertrags)recht, ZUM 6/2002, S. 409 (Co-Autor)

Das Filmherstellungsrecht – Ein urheberrechtliches Problem bei der audiovisuellen Nutzung von Musik im Film, Fernsehen und Multimedia, UFITA-Schriftenreihe Band 186 (2001)