Donald R. Friedman

Don’s practice is focused primarily on the music business and on trademark and brand licensing.  His work includes the representation of recording and performing artists, songwriters, publishers, producers, record labels, managers and other individuals and businesses in connection with recording and publishing agreements, producer agreements, record licenses, acquisition agreements, catalog exploitation agreements, film soundtrack agreements, cast album agreements, digital agreements and brand licensing agreements.  Don has extensive experience with “superstar” recording artist re-negotiations, profit-sharing and joint venture agreements and record distribution agreements.

Don has been with the firm since December 1983.  Prior to that, he was an attorney at Kaye, Scholer, Fierman, Hayes & Handler (now known as Kaye Scholer) in its Trademark & Copyright department and then with Arista Records.

Representative Transactions

• Represented Walt Disney Records and Hollywood Records in the negotiation of a catalog license agreement with Edel Records for Europe.
• Represented DreamWorks, LLC in the sale of DreamWorks Records to UMG Recordings, Inc.
• Represented Universal Music Group Distribution Corp. in the sale of its “indie distribution” business, Fontana, to Isolation Network, Inc., d/b/a INgrooves.
• Represented The Weinstein Company in the negotiation of music talent agreements and soundtrack album distribution agreements.
• Represented Sean Combs in the acquisition from BMG of its interest in Bad Boy records and the sale of an interest in the company to the Warner Music Group.
• Represented J Records in the negotiation of the operating agreement and related agreements for Octone Records. 
• Represented a record label in the negotiation of a profit-sharing agreement with another record label with respect to a duet album featuring an artist from each label.
• Represented Madonna in the formation of Maverick Records with Warner Bros. Records and in the sale back to Warner of her interest in Maverick.
• Represented the principals of Priority Records in the sale of Priority to EMI Music.

Education

• B.A., Brandeis University, 1974
• J.D., New York University School of Law, 1977
  NYU Review of Law and Social Change, 1975 - 1977