Mayer Brown continues growth in New York with addition of noted copyright lawyer William Patry

Mayer Brown today announced that William “Bill” Patry, a distinguished copyright lawyer, has joined the firm as a partner in its Intellectual Property practice in New York. Bill is the latest in a recent string of additions to the New York office, which now numbers nearly 300 lawyers, and will solidify the firm’s standing as a leader in federal copyright litigation as well as its growing reputation in royalty-setting proceedings, including before the Copyright Royalty Board.

Bill spent the past 17 years as senior copyright counsel at Google, where he founded the company’s in-house copyright counsel group. He advised on key copyright issues and was the principal team lead for public policy work globally, most recently in Israel on fair use, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), and previously in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore. Bill was also engaged in internal company discussions regarding AI, machine learning and copyright.

“Bill is the single most prominent thought leader and practitioner in the field of copyright law and there are very few leading lawyers with his experience and credentials,” said Lisa Ferri, co-leader of Mayer Brown’s global Intellectual Property practice. “His deep knowledge of—and experience with—the federal courts, the Copyright Office and the US House of Representatives all underscore what a great addition he is, and I know our clients will benefit greatly from his counsel.”

Over the course of his career, Bill has worked in private practice, and as a senior official at the US Copyright Office, a lead congressional staffer on copyright legislation and a law professor. He is the author of two of the most widely cited legal treatises on copyright law, Patry on Copyright and Patry on Fair Use. These treatises and Bill’s other writings have been cited approximately 1,000 times by federal courts, including many times by the US Supreme Court, most recently in its May 18 decision in the Andy Warhol case.

“Mayer Brown has a tremendous platform and one of the leading copyright litigation groups for technology companies—this was a terrific opportunity to join a team that’s at the top of its game,” said Bill. “The group is held in very high esteem, and I look forward to working alongside its highly regarded copyright litigators—some of whom I have known for many years—to help clients navigate evolving areas such as artificial intelligence.”

Matthew Ingber, managing partner of Mayer Brown’s New York office, added, “As we continue to grow in New York, Bill adds tremendous depth in the area of copyright litigation. I am confident that he will serve as a leader, not just to those within his own practice, but also to other lawyers throughout the office.”

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