Matthew Syrkin is a partner and the global chair of Hughes Hubbard’s Media, Technology and Commercial Transactions Group.

He provides strategic business counsel and commercial/corporate transactional support for clients in the technology, consulting, financial services, fintech, outsourcing, consumer retail, media, e-commerce, transportation, gaming and hospitality industries.

Recognized by Chambers, Legal 500, Law360 and other leading publications, Matthew has repeatedly been named by Variety Magazine as one of the top “Elite Dealmakers” in the country in the technology and media industry for his work advising industry-leading businesses, including matters for Ernst & Young, Daimler, EPIX, News Corporation, Bumble, CBS, The Madison Square Garden Company (NY Knicks and Rangers), Condé Nast, AMC Networks, Wipro, MGM, Davidson Kempner, Infosys, HBO Latin America, John Varvatos Enterprises and Banco Davivienda.

Matthew also specializes in cross-border commercial transactions, with a particular focus on Latin America and East Asia. He holds a degree in East Asian Studies and Languages, and speaks Mandarin Chinese, Japanese and Spanish. During his significant time abroad in East Asia, he attended the prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing and Keio University in Tokyo.

Prior to joining Hughes Hubbard, Matthew worked on technology transactions in the legal departments at Major League Baseball, News Corporation and TiVo, Inc. While at Hughes Hubbard, he was seconded to Viacom to handle interactive entertainment and e-commerce transactions as lead counsel for Viacom affiliate, Harmonix Music Systems, Inc., developer of the “Guitar Hero” and “Rock Band” franchises. In that role, he negotiated complex licensing, manufacturing, payment and technology partnerships with Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony Electronics, Electronic Arts and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

Matthew is a globally-recognized practitioner and frequent speaker, lecturer and author on the business and legal aspects of disruptive technologies, digital platforms and complex commercial transactions. During the past few years, he has co-authored books on technology transactions, contributed articles to major publications and been quoted on the front page of the New York Times as an expert on technology law.

A member of the planning committee for the Copyright Society of the U.S.A. since 2007, Matthew has recently been the keynote speaker at several industry conferences, including the Global Latin America Marketing Summit and DCM East and has both moderated and served on high-profile industry and university panels dealing with OTT television disruption, dynamic advertising solutions, crypto currency, cloud-based entertainment and online payment systems.

Recent Awards and Recognition

Ranked and Awarded, “Dealmakers Elite New York” Report, Variety Magazine, September 2019, https://variety.com/gallery/new-york-dealmakers/matthew-syrkin-3/
Awarded, “Most Innovative Deal of the Year” The Deal Awards Short List, June 2018, http://www.thedeal.com/tdp/SHORTLIST.pdf?mi_u=
Featured Profile, Law360 - “3 Reasons Attorneys Should Learn a Foreign Language”, August 2018, https://www.law360.com/articles/1072903/3-reasons-attys-should-learn-a-foreign-language
Ranked and Awarded, The Legal 500 USA 2018 in New York, Media and Entertainment http://www.legal500.com/firms/50478-hughes-hubbard-reed-llp/offices/51790-new-york-usa/lawyers/9040862#LocalReferenceWorkArea2139
Ranked and Awarded, Chambers USA 2018 in New York, Media & Entertainment, Chambers and Partners, https://chambers.com/guide/usa?publicationTypeId=5&practiceAreaId=698&subsectionTypeId=1&locationId=12806
Ranked and Awarded, “Impact Dealmaker” Report, Variety Magazine, September 2017, https://variety.com/gallery/dealmakers-impact-report-2017-variety/ken-lefkowitz-matthew-syrkin/
Ranked and Awarded, The Legal 500 USA 2017 in New York, Media and Entertainment http://www.legal500.com/firms/50478-hughes-hubbard-reed-llp/offices/51790-new-york-usa/lawyers/9040862#LocalReferenceWorkArea2139
Ranked and Awarded, Chambers USA 2017 in New York, Media & Entertainment, Chambers and Partners, https://chambers.com/guide/usa?publicationTypeId=5&practiceAreaId=698&subsectionTypeId=1&locationId=12806

Areas of Concentration

Information Technology. Information technology products, services, systems, applications, software, hardware and solution-driven hosting, co-location, service level, support, development, distribution, monetization, leasing, sourcing, reseller, licensing and distribution arrangements across cloud, virtual, mobile, remote and emerging platforms.
Outsourcing and Managed Services. Cross-border outsourcing, professional, master and managed service agreements for complex IT (software and platform development, hosting and management), financial, accounting, assurance, advisory, call center, customer support, back office, CRM, product manufacturing and data analytics-based services and platforms.
Fintech and Payments. B2C, B2B, B2G and P2P financial services-driven products, services and solution licensing, development and distribution arrangements, including online banking, merchant, gateway, payment and e-commerce solutions (e.g., blockchain, crowd-funded and sourced models), payment and gift card, money wire and funds transfer, point of sale, card industry standards (PCI), cybersecurity compliance and fraud detection solutions.
Licensing and Intellectual Property. Product, service and intellectual property (patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, proprietary rights) licensing, leasing, distribution, administration, monetization, sales, co-ownership, royalty, commission, marketing, development and service arrangements, including filings, liens, due diligence, searches and compliance matters.
Retail, Brand and Consumer. Apparel, electronics, home furnishings, food/beverage, books, toys and retail product development, distribution, manufacturing, logistics and sales arrangements, brick and mortar store establishment, franchise and trademark licensing, commission, consignment, agent and dealer agreements, product sales and warranty terms.
Hardware and Manufacturing.Retail and industrial product and equipment manufacturing, sourcing, distribution, procurement, import/export, logistics, warehousing, storage, packaging, transport, carriage, tracking and shipping transactions, including product warranty and safety documentation, instruction and product manuals and legal and regulatory compliance review.
Interactive Entertainment and Games. Augmented and virtual reality, interactive entertainment, video game, casino and land-based gaming development, brand licensing, publishing, distribution, sales, marketing and merchandising arrangements across all platforms, including mobile devices, platform consoles, Smart TV and online platforms.
Data Privacy and Cybersecurity. Data privacy, IT and cybersecurity matters, including customer data collection, use, processing, transfer and disclosure requirements (e.g., NYDFS, CCPA, HIPAA), alternative data licensing, analytics, monetization, sourcing and warehousing arrangements, internal and consumer facing privacy policies and legal and regulatory compliance review and diligence.
Digital Entertainment Content. Digital audio/audio-visual content licensing, distribution, development, monetization, production and syndication initiatives, including “over-the-top”, EST, VOD (e.g., subscription, ad-supported, transactional, free), digital lockering, second screen platforms, automatic content recognition (ACR), Smart TV integrations and security matters.
Advertising and Branding. Marketing, branding, advertising and promotional initiatives, including linear, online and digital ad serving, syndication, monetization and distribution arrangements, SEO, SEM, dynamic advertising solutions (insertion, swapping, overlay), outdoor advertising, traditional and new media sweepstakes and contest administration.
TV, Film and Programming. Film, television, program, event and performance licensing, distribution, production, affiliate, carriage and syndication initiatives with cable networks, cable operators, distributors, programmers, MVPDs, wireless carriers, satellite radio network operators, device manufacturers, content aggregators and online platform operators.
Social Media and Publishing. Online social media networks, content publisher, developer, crowd sourced and user-generated content platforms, including data collection, information scraping and targeted advertising, digital content screening, moderation and filtering, online and social media polices, terms of service, end user license agreements and CDA and DMCA-related matters.
Corporate and Strategic Alliances. Joint ventures, strategic alliances, share and asset transactions, mergers, business combinations, security and credit agreements, co-branding and collaboration agreements, real property/leasing transactions, executive compensation, employment and independent contractor agreements and other corporate arrangements.
Not-for-profit. Charitable foundation, not-for-profit, NGO, commercial co-ventures and other philanthropic entity grant, award, research, funding, project, collaboration and marketing arrangements, including partnerships, affiliations, international office establishment, online funding and social media initiatives and data administration and monetization.

Speaking Engagements, Publications and Lectures

Featured Profile, Law360 - “3 Reasons Attorneys Should Learn a Foreign Language”, August 2018, https://www.law360.com/article...
Writer, “Drastic Shifts Seen in Endorsement Deals Between Celebrities and Fashion Labels”, California Apparel News, February 15, 2018 https://www.apparelnews.net/ne...
Speaker, “2018 Latin America Marketing Summit”, February 7-8, 2018 http://hub.hugheshubbard.com/n...
Mentioned, “Netflix's First Acquisition: 'Kingsman' Comics Publisher, Hollywood Reporter, August 2017, http://www.hollywoodreporter.c...
Mentioned, “Netflix's First Acquisition: Boosts Comics Portfolio”, The Deal, August 2017, https://s3.amazonaws.com/hhr-w...AND https://pipeline.thedeal.com/a...
Mentioned (Espanol), “Netflix cierra su primera compra: Acuerdo con el editor de cómics Millarworld”, The Daily Television, August 2017 http://www.thedailytelevision....
Mentioned, “MSG Makes First Outright Acquisition With Entertainment Tech Firm Obscura”, TheStreet, November 25, 2017, https://www.thestreet.com/stor...
Author, “U.S. Television on the Internet and the New “MVPDs”, digitalhhr.com, October 2015
Author, “The Streaming Revolution in the Entertainment Industry”, 2015 ed.: International Association of Entertainment Lawyers, IAEL Publishing Company, August 2015
Author, “The Battle for Cloud City: Aereo Continue to Push Disruption to the Supreme Court”, digitalhhr.com, October 2013
Author, “Understanding Developments in Cyberspace Law”, 2013 ed.: Leading Lawyers on Analyzing Recent Trends, Case Laws, and Legal Strategies Affecting the Internet Landscape (Inside the Minds), West Publishing Co, August 2013
Quoted, “Real and Virtual Firearms Nurture a Marketing Link”, New York Times (Front Page), December 31, 2012, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12...
Speaker and Moderator, “Television and Disruptive Technologies: Copyright’s New Frontier”, Copyright Society of the USA, December 11, 2012, presentation video online: http://isoc-ny.org/p2/4680
Keynote Speaker, Chair and Moderator, “Microtransactions in Gaming”, DCM East (Gaming Summit), June 2012
Speaker, “Crossing the Digital Border: Exploiting Digital Content and Devices Overseas”, HHR Continuing Legal Education Seminar, May 1, 2012
Author, “Cloud Computing, Digital Lockers and Copyright: The Cloudification of Entertainment”, digitalhhr.com, September 14, 2011
Presenter, “Copyright and Content in the Cloud”, Copyright Society of the U.S.A., September 2011
Speaker, “App-endectomy: Removing the Mystery from the App Ecosystem”, HHR Continuing Legal Education, April 2011
Speaker, “Forecast: Entertainment in the Cloud”, HHR Continuing Legal Education, December 2010
Presenter, “Beg, Borrow, or Steel? Exploring Practical Solutions to the Music Sampling Debate”, Copyright Society of the U.S.A., October 2010
Author, “ivi TV Update: ivi Files Complaint for Declaratory Judgment”, digitalhhr.com, September 2010
Author, “ivi TV: Live Network Television on the Net Without Negotiation?”, digitalhhr.com, September 2010
Speaker, “Whose Data Is It Anyway? Privacy & Data Security in a De-Centralized World”, HHR Continuing Legal Education, September 2010
Panelist, “Internet Rights And Technology: A Practical Legal Guide To Doing Business On The Internet”, New York City Bar, September 2010
Author, “Social Networking Games, Sweepstakes, Promotions and the New Apps: Developing the Fine Line of Legality”, digitalhhr.com, June 2010
Speaker, “TV Everywhere…Is It Everywhere You Want It to Be?”, HHR Continuing Legal Education, March 2010
Author, “United States: Dance Dance Copyright Revolution: Interactive Gaming’s Upcoming Copyright Conundrum”, Mondaq, January 2010 http://www.mondaq.com/unitedst...
Speaker, “Legal, Business & Operational Issues in Interactive Games Initiatives & Transactions”, HHR Continuing Legal Education, September 2009
Author, “Lessons from the NFL: The Importance of Scope and Duration in Drafting Intellectual Property License Grants”, digitalhhr.com, August 2009
Author, “You (Publicly) Play, You Pay: ASCAP After Ringtone Money and the Impact on Your Deals”, digitalhhr.com, June 2009
Author, “In-Game Placement: Guns, Guitars and Gadgets: Think Again Before You Depict Something You Don’t Own or License in Your Video Game”, digitalhhr.com, June 2009
Author, “Note to Digital Content Owners: Time to Master Fair Use”, digitalhhr.com, December 2008
Author, “Copyright Royalty Board Establishes First Time Mechanical Rates for Ringtones and Ad-supported Streaming Music”, digitalhhr.com, November 2008
Author, “Publishers Driving the Copyright Royalty Board Bus (PART II)”, digitalhhr.com, September 2008
Author, “The Current Trends and Challenges for Digital Media in Latin America”, Latin Lawyer Magazine, Volume 7, Issue 8, August 2008
Author, “Publishers Driving the Copyright Royalty Board Bus (PART I)”, digitalhhr.com, July 2008
Author, “A Congressional Foray Into the Net Neutrality Debate”, digitalhhr.com, February 2008
Speaker, “Copyright and Patent Drive By”, New York University, Tisch School (Telecommunications Graduate Program), November 2007
Presenter, “Introduction to Music Publishing”, Copyright Society of the U.S.A., October 2007
Presenter, “Secondary Liability in a Perfect 10 World”, Copyright Society of the U.S.A., April 2007