Brendan Kehoe

Brendan is an intellectual property litigator heading up the firm’s music vertical. His practice focuses on music, copyright, AI, privacy, consumer, and general commercial litigation, as well as strategic counseling on licensing, fair use, digital regulatory compliance, and alternative dispute resolution. 

Before joining Klaris, Brendan served as Head of US Litigation & Copyright at Spotify, where his group achieved success across a broad range of litigation matters impacting the company. Brendan also advised on global regulatory issues, helped launch Spotify in over 100 countries, and worked closely with business leads to build features and products that complied with Spotify’s legal obligations worldwide. 

Prior to Spotify, Brendan led global copyright and trademark defense and enforcement programs at Bloomberg and Pearson Education, where he also achieved success in litigation and advised on content licensing and regulatory compliance. Across roles, he is known for translating complex copyright and technology law into clear, practical guidance for clients operating at the intersection of media, technology, and creativity.

Brendan is a certified mediator with experience resolving complex media, entertainment, and technology disputes. He is an active member of the Copyright Society and regularly works with industry stakeholders on emerging issues affecting music, digital content, and AI. Brendan frequently speaks on panels and in closed-door seminars about litigation strategy, emerging IP issues, ADR, and issues impacting general counsels and their teams.

Brendan moved to Brooklyn in 1999 and was involved in the electronic music scene as a DJ and event promoter. Prior to law school, he worked at a digital media startup in NYC. Today, Brendan is an avid tennis player and concert-goer. 

‍

Speaking Engagements

• Speaker, ABA Copyright and Emerging Technology Committee, Sample, Generate, Litigate: AI and the Future of Music Copyright, June 12, 2026
• Speaker, MLRC Litigation & Copyright Committees Joint Meeting: The Impact of Cox v. Sony, April 23, 2026

Active Matters

• Represent Spotify in multiple copyright actions brought by songwriters claiming infringement (N.D. Ohio + N.D. Texas)
• Represent Spotify in a theft of ideas case relating to Spotify Jam (Virginia)
• Represent Ziff Davis in ongoing copyright infringement action against OpenAI, as part of the consolidated SDNY multi-district litigation (S.D.N.Y.)
• Represent Goulash Unlimited in a trademark infringement suit brought by Condé Nast, claiming that Goulash's use of the name "Gourmet" for its online magazine violates Condé Nast's trademark rights in Gourmet magazine (S.D.N.Y.)
• Represent domain owner in UDRP dispute brought by FanDuel (WIPO)
• Represent artist and songwriter in royalty dispute with prominent royalty collection company (New York)

Representative Matters

• Secured a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against Anna’s Archive, an unauthorized website that scraped and threatened to distribute copyrighted music content from Spotify.
• Achieved dismissal with prejudice claims brought by the Mechanical Licensing Collective against Spotify, involving more than $150 million in annual royalties.
• Won summary judgment in a high-profile music copyright infringement action brought by Eight Mile Style, the publisher of Eminem’s older catalog, involving works including Lose Yourself and The Real Slim Shady.
• Successfully mediated a multi-party dispute between major and indie music publishers and a copyright management organization arising from a long-running disagreement over indemnification provisions in a direct publishing licensing agreement.
• Prevailed in multiple lawsuits involving Pro Music Rights, a start-up performance rights organization.
• Resolved trademark, trade secret, and unfair competition disputes on favorable terms for clients in the media, technology, and financial services sectors.

‍