Ivan Parron Entertainment Sports Lawyer

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT IVAN PARRON ENTERTAINMENT SPORTS LAWYER

As the Chief Legal Officer and principal of PARRON LAW®, I provide legal and business affairs and general counsel to clients in the sports, entertainment, media, and technology industries, with a specialty in strategic M&A and negotiating the production, protection, licensing and distribution of media and IP. I have over 25 years of experience as a lawyer and a CEO in these fields, and I am a member of the Forbes Business Council, selected Best Lawyers® in Sports Law by US News, voted a Top 100 Sports Law Firm by Hackney Publications and ranked a Top 50 Music Attorney by Billboard Magazine. I am also a certified contract advisor for the NFL, NBA, and NCAA, and legal counsel for several global media and sports entities, such as Orange Blossom Classic, División Mayor del Fútbol Colombiano, Fremantle, Endemol Shine Group and Universal Music Group. I leverage my expertise in AI, Web3, and OTT to help my clients navigate the evolving and complex landscape of digital media and technology and to protect their intellectual property assets. Additionally, I am an adjunct professor of sports law at two prestigious law schools, a Grammy Governor, an Emmys-voting member, and a contributing writer for HuffPost. My mission is to empower and protect the creative and athletic businesses and talent that shape the culture and economy of our society. Prior to PARRON LAW® and my tenure at Universal Music Group as in-house attorney, I served as CEO & founder of Ritmoteca.com, the world’s first legal source for downloadable music. A software engineer as of an early age, I am often referred to as the,\"inventor of iTunes\" since my company was an early predecessor to the Apple iTunes business model. I helped pioneer the deal structure for digital distribution of music and media, signing agreements with over 60 independent record labels and aggregating exclusive distribution rights to over music tracks and videos including artists like Tito Puente, Marc Anthony and Celia Cruz. My vision and business savvy also led the company to become the first online music venture to sign digital distribution deals with the major record labels including Sony Music, Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group and BMG Music, securing my position as a dealmaker. Under my leadership, Ritmoteca forged strategic alliances with companies including Microsoft, AOL, Nokia, Motorola and Napster. I built the company up to 200 employees backed by private and institutional investors including Bain Capital.