Our partner Raphael Gassmann is moving to digital media distribution

As of January 1, 2023, our partner Raphael Gassmann the position of Senior Manager Legal & Business Affairs at the Zebralution GmbH The company has been acquired. The Berlin-based firm is a globally operating digital distributor for independent labels, audiobook publishers, and podcasts. Since December 2019, the German collecting society GEMA has held a majority stake. Mr. Gassmann will remain with the law firm merlekerpartner in an advisory capacity as Of Counsel, without being a member of the partnership.

From the beginning of his legal career, Raphael Gassmann has been a key figure in the firm's copyright and media law department. Among other things, he advised an international branding agency on the development of corporate sound projects and, in this context, oversaw the establishment of a music publishing company. In addition to representing media companies, agencies, event organizers, and artists in and out of court, he assisted rights holders and users with contract drafting and rights clearance. Another focus of his work was media law licensing procedures for radio and television broadcasters. Most recently, Raphael Gassmann advised OstWest TV, a broadcaster awarded the German National Foundation's Young Talent Prize, on obtaining an indefinite broadcasting license.