Dr. Hans-Martin Gutsch founded the Hamburg office of the legal firm Gutsch & Schlegel, formerly Sasse & Partner, which he has run together with Thomas Schlegel since back in 2003.
His core focus is on providing clients from all sectors of the creative and entertainment industry with comprehensive consultation and guidance. He specializes in copyright, publishing and license law and represents a diverse range of individuals and companies active in this field, as well as parties from outwith the sector that want to acquire and use rights
He also has at his disposal long-standing experience in corporate law and assists his clients in all affairs related to this area of law, from setting up a company right through to its liquidation. His skills are especially sought after in corporate transactions where rights constitute a substantial proportion of the assets of the company to be sold.
His clients include numerous artists such as Saxon, Claptone, Revolverheld, Stanfour, Itchy and Julia Engelmann, authors like Markus Heitz, listed media companies like Edel AG (music, book) und die Splendid Medien AG (movies), as well as its subsidiaries, both national and international music labels like lay It Again Samoder Starwatch Entertainment and start-ups such as Foodboom.
Dr. Gutsch is curator of the Wacken Foundation and a member of the advisory board of Foodboom.
Career path
1983-1989: studied law at the University of Göttingen and the University of North Carolina
1993: doctorate in law (Dr. jur.) at the University of Passau
1995: second state legal examination
From 1995: Head of the Legal Department of records GmbH
From 1998: Member of the board of Edel AG
Languages
German, English
Publications
“Die Rechtsstellung der Postbank im nationalen und internationalen Bankenwettbewerb” (“The legal status of the postal bank service in national and international banking competition”), Studien zum Bank- und Börsenrecht, Nomos Verlag Baden-Baden 1993
“Tonpiraten, kopieren von Musik und Urheberrecht” (“Sound pirating, copying music and copyright”), in: Musik und Unterricht 68 (2002), S. 11 ff.
“Musik im Film” (“Music in Film”), in: Haupt, Stefan (Hrsg.), Urheberrecht für Filmschaffende. München 2008
“Multiple Rights Deals in Germany”, (gemeinsam mit Andreas Lichtenhahn) in: Bentley, Julian (Hrsg.), Multiple Rights Deals in the Music Industry, London 2009
“Lösung gesucht! – Zur gegenwärtigen Debatte um Antworten auf die urheberrechtlichen Herausforderungen durch das Internet” (“Solution required! – For the present debate around responses to copyright-related challenges online”), in: EWerK e.V. (Hrsg.), Festgabe für Hans-Peter Schwintowski, Baden-Baden, 2012, S. 75 ff
Miscellaneous
Hamburger Abendblatt 20./21. June 2015 download: “Liebling der Kreativen”