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Kurt Wimmer is the US chair of the firm’s Global Privacy and Data Security practice and a partner concentrating in privacy and technology law, as well as intellectual property and media. He advises national and multinational companies on privacy, data security, content and digital technology issues, particularly in connection with online and mobile media, targeted advertising, and monetization strategies. Mr. Wimmer is rated in the first tier by Legal 500, designated as a national leader in Chambers USA, and is included in Best Lawyers in America in four areas.
Mr. Wimmer represents clients on privacy and public policy matters before the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, Congress, the European Commission and state attorneys general, as well as in privacy assessments and policies, copyright protection and strategy, content liability advice, and international matters. From 2000-2003, he focused on European data protection law in Covington’s London office, where he was managing partner. From 2006 to 2009, he was Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Gannett Co., Inc., where he was a member of the Gannett Management Committee and was in charge of all legal and policy matters for a leading digital media and technology company.
Mr. Wimmer represents companies in strategic ventures to deploy innovative new digital technologies. He represents Pearl Mobile DTV, a nine-company venture now rolling out a mobile digital television service under the Dyle™ brand, along with NBC Universal, Fox, and others, across the country. He also is a recognized leader on digital media content issues, including content liability and freedom of expression. He represents a 70-member coalition of the media industry before Congress in advocating the Free Flow of Information Act, which would permit journalists to maintain the confidentiality of sources, and he was instrumental in the successful of the SPEECH Act, which protects US publishers from damages for foreign litigation, in 2010. He has also been at the forefront of international jurisdiction issues relating to the publication of content on the Internet, and represented coalitions of media and technology companies in the landmark Ehrenfeld and Bangoura cases. He has published widely on global Internet jurisdiction issues.
Mr. Wimmer's clients include Microsoft, CBS, Facebook, Hulu, The Washington Post Company, Hearst Corp., Newsweek/The Daily Beast, National Geographic, Gannett Co., Inc., and the New York Times Co., as well as associations including the Newspaper Association of America and the National Association of Broadcasters. He is chair of the First Amendment Advisory Council of the Media Institute and the D.C. Bar Committee on Media Law, and is a member of the board of directors of the Media Law Resource Center and is past chair of its Defense Counsel Section.
Honors and Rankings
- Legal 500, First Tier
- Chambers USA, Leader Designation
- Best Lawyers in America, Four Areas
- Washington DC Super Lawyers, Information Technology (2012)
- Washingtonian, Best Lawyers
- The International Who's Who of Regulatory Communications Lawyers
- Euromoney’s Guide to the World’s Leading Media Lawyers
Memberships and Affiliations
- Harvard University/Berkman Center for Internet and Society, Digital Media Law Project, Advisory Board
- Media Law Resource Center, Board of Directors
- Media Institute, Board of Trustees
- Bureau of National Affairs (BNA) Internet Legal Resource Center Board of Advisors
Publications and Speeches
- "White House Unveils Comprehensive Privacy Protection Framework," Covington E-Alert (2/27/2012), Co-Author
- "Digital Media Law 2.0," UNESCO World Press Freedom Day, Newseum, Washington, D.C. (5/2/2011)
- "Monetizing the News: The Role of IP in Assuring the Future of Media and Democracy," ABA Annual Intellectual Property Law Conference, Arlington, Virginia (4/8/2011)
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