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Fred von Lohmann

Senior Staff Attorney

+1 415 436 9333 x123
fred@eff.org [PGP key]

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Fred von Lohmann is a senior staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, specializing in intellectual property matters. In that role, he has represented programmers, technology innovators, and individuals in a variety of copyright and trademark litigation, including MGM v. Grokster, decided by the Supreme Court in 2005. He is also involved in EFF's efforts to educate policy-makers regarding the proper balance between intellectual property protection and the public interest in fair use, free expression, and innovation. Before joining EFF, Fred was a visiting researcher with the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology and an associate with the international law firm of Morrison & Foerster LLP. He has appeared on CNN, CNBC, ABC's Good Morning America, and Fox News O'Reilly Factor and has been widely quoted in a variety of national publications. Fred has an A.B. from Stanford University and a J.D. from Stanford Law School.

Extended Bio

Fred von Lohmann is a senior staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, specializing in intellectual property matters. In that role, he has represented programmers, technology innovators, and individuals in a variety of copyright and trademark litigation, including MGM v. Grokster, decided by the Supreme Court in 2005. He is also involved in EFF's efforts to educate policy-makers regarding the proper balance between intellectual property protection and the public interest in fair use, free expression, and innovation.

In 2008, Fred was named one of the 50 leading intellectual property lawyers in California by the Daily Journal, a leading legal newspaper, which also honored him as among the 100 most influential lawyers in California from 2004-08. He also received the prestigious 2008 IP3 award for intellectual property from Public Knowledge. He has also been recognized as a Northern California "SuperLawyer" for 2008 and received a 2003 CLAY (California Lawyer of the Year) award from California Lawyer magazine. He has appeared on The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, CNN, CNBC, ABC's Good Morning America, Fox News' O'Reilly Factor, C-SPAN, and TechTV's ScreenSavers and has been widely quoted in a variety of publications, including in the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Billboard, US News & World Report, CNET News, Wired News, TIME magazine and a number of leading legal newspapers. His opinion pieces have appeared in the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and San Jose Mercury News.

The EFF matters in which he is involved include:

  • You Bought It, You Own It: going to court to stop the use of "label licenses" to undermine the first sale doctrine in both patent and copyright contexts involving printer cartridges, promo CDs, or patented semiconductors.
  • Protecting Fair Use in User-Generated Content: representing individuals whose online free expression has been targeted for censorship by bogus "takedown" notices and working with content owners like Viacom and service providers like YouTube to develop best practices that protect fair use.
  • File-Sharing Lawsuits: assisting and filing briefs on behalf of music fans in the recording industry's national litigation campaign against file-sharers, including briefs addressing the misguided "making available" theory being pressed by recording industry lawyers against unrepresented defendants.

Before joining EFF, Fred was a visiting researcher with the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology, where his research focused on the impact of peer-to-peer (P2P) technologies on the future of copyright. Prior to his research fellowship, Fred was an attorney with the international law firm of Morrison & Foerster LLP, concentrating on transactions and counseling involving the Internet and intellectual property.

Fred also served as a law clerk to Chief Judge Thelton Henderson, of the US District Court for Northern California, and Judge Betty B. Fletcher, of the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He received both his undergraduate and law degrees from Stanford University.

He serves as an advisor to the American Law Institute's (ALI) Principles of the Law of Software Contracts project. He also serves on the board of directors for The Tor Project, as well as on the advisory boards of Public Knowledge and the Future of Music Coalition.

Fred posts frequently to EFF's Deep Links blog. For the story of his "conversion moment" leading to his involvement with EFF issues, read his EFF15 Blog-a-thon post.

His recent written work includes:

Contact:

Fred von Lohmann
Senior Intellectual Property Attorney
Electronic Frontier Foundation
fred@eff.org
+1 415-436-9333 x123

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