About
Sabine Richly is a copyright lawyer, policy advisor, and academic with over 15 years experience. Strong at the intersection of law, technology, and creative industries.
© M. Kohrs, 2024
Sabine Richly, LL.M., MBA
Copyright & Media Lawyer, Munich
Sabine Richly advises organizations, publishers, and creative industry stakeholders at the intersection of copyright law, AI policy, and digital strategy. As a fully qualified German lawyer (Rechtsanwältin) with an
LL.M. in Digital Media Law and an MBA in Digital Media Management, both with First-Class Honors, she combines deep legal expertise with strategic
and commercial knowledge and practical experience that is rare in the field.
Her work spans independent legal counsel, policy development, expert studies, and academic teaching. Current and recent clients include WIPO, IFRRO, Initiative Urheberrecht, and organizations in the publishing, art, and technology sectors.
Before establishing her independent practice in 2023, Sabine Richly spent 13 years at VG WORT, Germany’s leading collective management organization for text rights, where she was Head of Reprography Collection. In this role, she was the in-house responsible for high-stakes litigation before the CJEU, BGH, and BVerfG, negotiated settlements worth up to €250 million, and directed the digitization of the reprography collection.
Earlier in her career, she practiced at SKW Schwarz Rechtsanwälte, Munich’s leading media law boutique, advising on film finance, publishing contracts, and copyright litigation for major national and international
clients.
University of Potsdam – Collective Management (since 2025)
Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg – Law and Economics of Digital Media (2023 – 2025)
University of Passau – Copyright Law, IT and Security Law (2013)
University of Television and Film Munich – Media Law for Documentary Filmmakers (2009 – 2010)
Architecture Matters 2026 – Munich
CEPS Ideas Lab 2026 – Brussels
Initiative Urheberrecht – Akademie der Künste, Berlin (2023 – 2025)
IUM Symposion – Munich (2025)
Frankfurter Buchmesse – AI Act Panel (2024)
WIPO SCCR 45 & 46 – Geneva (2023–2024)
IFRRO, EUIPO – Brussels, Luxembourg, Bucharest, Rome, Valencia
LL.M. Digital Media Law – Universität Potsdam (2023)
MBA Digital Media Management – Filmuniversität Babelsberg (2021)
2nd State Exam (Bar Admission) – Landesjustizprüfungsamt NRW (2004)
1st State Exam – Universität Passau (2001)
Diploma in Law – University of Westminster, London (1998)
Copyright Law & AI
Collective Management & CMOs
EU AI Act & Regulatory Compliance
Text & Data Mining Policy
Digital Media Strategy
Expert Studies & Quantitative Research
Led digitization of reprography collection with significant cost reduction
Agile methods / Design Thinking
Negotiated industry settlements up to €250 million
Change management in complex IT and technology projects
Digital transformation strategy for CMOs
AI policy strategy for international organizations
Speaker at WIPO, EUIPO, German Bundestag Committees, German Federal Ministries
Representation of NGOs in EU AI Code of Practice stakeholder dialogue
Political strategy in national and European legislative processes
Consortium research and expert studies