Edward Klaris brings more than three decades of experience handling media, entertainment, intellectual property, technology, privacy, artificial intelligence, and complex commercial matters. He advises media companies, technology businesses, content creators, filmmakers, publishers, executives, and other rights holders regarding copyright, trademark, trade secrets, licensing, content clearance, chain of title, underlying rights, newsgathering, defamation, data and personal privacy, advertising, digital distribution, and emerging technologies. His practice also includes negotiating licensing and sales agreements, structuring transactions involving intellectual property assets, negotiating royalty and other payment rights and obligations, and serving as production and clearance counsel for motion picture, documentary, audio and literary projects.

Before establishing his current practice, Mr. Klaris spent 17 years serving in senior in-house legal and business positions at major media organizations. His responsibilities included managing litigation, intellectual property portfolios, prepublication and prebroadcast review, newsroom and editorial matters, commercial transactions, licensing arrangements, digital products, e-commerce, advertising, partnerships, joint ventures, and international business operations. He has defended First Amendment and intellectual property claims, pursued access to closed proceedings and government records, addressed subpoenas and regulatory matters, and litigated disputes involving shareholder rights, copyright, trademark, privacy, breach of contract, defamation and advertising claims. He has also represented clients as counsel in domestic and international arbitration and mediation proceedings.

Since 2005, Mr. Klaris has served as a Lecturer-in-Law at Columbia Law School, where he teaches a seminar in Media Law covering copyright, trademark, privacy, newsgathering, free speech, commercial speech, social media, and digital publishing. His combined experience as a litigator, in-house counsel, business executive, educator, and arbitration advocate enables him to assess complex legal and factual issues while remaining attentive to the commercial, technological, reputational, and practical considerations affecting the parties. This multidisciplinary background provides him with a balanced and informed perspective in his role as a NAM Hearing Officer.

Mr. Klaris is available to arbitrate and mediate cases in New York and federal matters throughout the United States.