Prof. Dr. Stefan Sporn
Of-Counsel | Attorney at Law | Lecturer
Stefan Sporn is an expert in media and copyright law with over 30 years of experience in various roles in the media industry. In his current main position, he serves as the Senior Vice President of International Distribution and authorized signatory at RTL International GmbH, a company within the RTL Deutschland media group. In this role, he oversees the international business of licensing TV channels to network operators and platforms. Stefan represents the RTL media group as a board member, supervisor, etc., in various international organizations of broadcasters.
The native of Lower Saxony worked for many years as a journalist in print, radio, and TV. As a lawyer, he gained experience in a legal research institution, the legal department of a public broadcasting institution, and as the managing director of a collecting society. He also worked as the Manager of Business Development and Licensing at RTL Television GmbH.
Sporn has been teaching copyright and media law as an honorary professor at TH Köln for many years. He is the spokesperson for the advisory board of the Cologne Research Center for Media Law and a member of the International Board of Advisers (IBoA) at TH Köln. He is the author of numerous publications on media and copyright law and is a regular moderator or speaker at international conferences (ANGAcom, gamescom congress, NEM/Dubrovnik, etc.).
Expertise
Media Law
Copyright Law / Copyright Collectives
Film & TV
Vita
- 1990 – 1995 Studied law in Hannover and Cologne (Scholarship recipient of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung) / 1st State Examination
- 1995 – 1997 Legal clerkship (Stations include Niedersächsische Landesmedienanstalt, Axel-Springer-Verlag, and a law firm in Tokyo) / 2nd State Examination
- 2000 Ph.D. at the University of Mainz (Recipient of the Axel-Springer-Stiftung scholarship and Dr.-Feldbausch-Stiftung award)
- 1990 – 2000 Freelance journalist for print, radio, and TV
- 1998 – 2000 Worked for the Institute of European Media Law and Legal Department of WDR, Cologne
- Since 2000 Various management roles within the RTL Deutschland media group
- 2009 – 2010 Managing Director of Verwertungsgesellschaft Medien (VG Media GmbH), Berlin
- Since 2007 Licensed Attorney
- Since 2010 Senior Vice President International Distribution / Authorized Signatory at RTL International GmbH
Other Activities
- Honorary Professor at the Technical University (TH) Cologne
- Lecturer in Media and Copyright Law at TH Cologne
- Spokesperson for the Advisory Board of the Cologne Research Center for Media Law at TH Cologne
- Member of the International Board of Advisers (IBoA) of TH Cologne
Publications
Urteilsanmerkung zu Österreichischer OGH „Hotel Edelweiß II“ v. 23.8.2018 in GRUR Int. 3/2019, S. 303 ff
Recht der Verwertungsgesellschaften, in: Schwartmann (Hrsg.), Praxishandbuch Medien-, IT- und Urheberrecht, 4. Auflage 2018
Schwartmann/Sporn (Hrsg.): Landesmediengesetz Nordrhein-Westfalen Kommentar der §§ 1-3, 10-17, 23-38, 39-51, 57, 59-67, 87-99, 110-117 LMG NRW mit kostenlosen Ergänzungen, C.F. Müller 2013
Ein Grundrecht der Medienfreiheit – Gleiches Recht für alle?!, in K&R Beihefter 2/2013, S. 2
Konsequenzen der Konvergenz – Juristische Hot Spots, in: Schneider (Hrsg.), Management von Medienunternehmen, 1. Auflage 2013
Ich will zum Fernsehen, in: Beck’scher Referendarführer 2012/13
Electronic Program Guides, gemeinsam mit Sebastian Kocks, Schriftenreihe der Forschungsstelle für Medienrecht, Band 2, 2011
Commentary „Journalistenrecht“ (Fechner/Wössner) in: Die Öffentliche Verwaltung 2010, S. 564
Auf dem Weg zur Ländermedienanstalt, in: K&R 2009, 237
Pressegesetze, in: Schiwy/Schütz/Dörr, Medienrecht, Lexikon für Praxis und Wissenschaft, 5. Auflage 2009
Die Ländermedienanstalt, Studien zum deutschen und europäischen Medienrecht, Band 11, 2001
Das Grundrecht der Meinungs- und Informationsfreiheit in einer Europäischen Grundrechtscharta, in: ZUM 2000, 537
„Vielfalt im digitalen Rundfunk”, Schriftenreihe des Instituts für Europäisches Medienrecht, Band 20, 1999
Dr. Robert Straßer
Dr. Stefan Ventroni
Dr. Stefan Freytag
Simone Jäger
Alexander Stolberg-Stolberg
Rolf Jäger
Bassam Saleh
Dr. Philip Rödiger LL.M. oec.
Dr. Rolf Moser
Prof. Dr. Stefan Sporn
Martin Müller
Dr. Friederike Manz, LL.M.
