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Questions About Your Matter? Law Offices of
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About Us
The practice area of the Firm focuses on intellectual property and business matters related to creative artists and media-based companies, concentrating on the entertainment, Internet, and computer software businesses, including: recording, production, and publishing; multi-media and internet web-based productions; digital distribution and repurposing of content; licensing, distribution, and marketing; copyright and trademark matters; merchandising; sponsorships; film, television, and video productions, options, scoring, and soundtracks; content syndications; clearances for use of intellectual property in all forms of media; talent services negotiating and contracting; business start-ups and development; strategic alliances; content catalog sales and purchases; private financing; and private mergers and acquisitions. The Firm, for over twenty-five years, has covered all areas of media, computer software, and intellectual property and business law practice, including: all aspects of music, such as songwriters and music publishers, recording artists and record companies, managers and talent in a management context, producers, live performances and event promotion and production, television and film scoring and soundtrack production, merchandising with associated rights of publicity and trademark matters, audio-visual productions; internet-based production and multi-media productions; internet and mobile distribution and delivery; literary publishing, including fiction and technical and professional non-fiction; sale and acquisition of content and media-based companies; talent services agreements for performing talent and production companies contracting for performing talent in all media; and agreements for production and distribution of television, video, film, music and literary properties in traditional and internet-based environments. The Firm's clients include record labels, music publishers, book publishers, traditional and Internet-based media production, technology, and content distribution companies, web casting companies, recording artists, writers, producers, managers, authors, software designers, and internet, multi-media product and website developers. Biography Edward R. (Ned) Hearn was born in Philadelphia in 1945. Continuing his education on the East Coast, Mr. Hearn attended Rutgers University in New Jersey, graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in 1967. Mr. Hearn continued immediately on to law school, finishing his Juris Doctorate at Rutgers in 1970 cum laude. During his time as a law student, Mr. Hearn was the Editor-in-Chief of the Rutgers Law Journal, which began his exposure and familiarity to the world of journalism and publishing. Mr. Hearn was immediately admitted to the practice of law in New Jersey in 1970, and began his legal career spending a year as a Clerk for Justice Frederick Hall of the New Jersey Supreme Court, gaining intense exposure to the world of litigation, judicial reasoning and decision writing. Subsequent to his clerkship, Mr. Hearn began his three-year stint as an associate with Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton in New York City. The firm did and still does specialize in business-related matters, including corporate governance, structured finance, mergers and acquisitions, and complex litigation. Mr. Hearn gained experience within these disciplines, which has served him well as he continued to develop his practice. Mr. Hearn also gained admission to practice law in the State of New York in 1972 in order to work fully for the firm. At this point, Mr. Hearn decided to move west, specifically to the Bay Area and Palo Alto to spend four more years as an Associate with Fenwick & West. Fenwick & West also concentrates on business-related practice areas such as trademark, copyright, computer law, start-ups and venture capital issues, among others, for high-technology oriented companies. It was here that Mr. Hearn further refined his expertise within the business realm. Mr. Hearn also needed a local license to work at the firm, and accomplished this by passing the California Bar Exam in 1976. In 1978, Mr. Hearn ended his time as an associate and became a partner with Harrison, Hearn & Berthold, P.C. in San Jose. He remained there until 1985. The firm focused on intellectual property, business organization, business litigation, entertainment, and media, and further advanced Mr. Hearn's expertise. In 1985, The Law Offices of Edward R. Hearn, P.C. opened in San Jose, California and remains in operation twenty years later. Mr. Hearn focuses on the business and legal issues involving the intersection of content, media, and technology, including entertainment, internet, copyright, trademark, business start-ups and development, the use of intellectual property in all forms of media, and related media business and artist matters. Mr. Hearn is a member of the State Bar of California, Intellectual Property Law Section; the American Bar Association, Entertainment and Sports Forum; the California Lawyers for the Arts, where he has been sitting on the Board of Directors from 1976 until today; and the West Coast Songwriters Association, where he has been President of the Board of Directors since 1979. Given Mr. Hearn's decades of high-level experience and first-hand knowledge of running a business, he is more than ready to handle whatever situation you face. Please contact him to make sure your rights are protected and your efforts are maximized. |