Daniel Jason Ain is a Partner at the firm, where he practices in the areas of entertainment, media and literary, intellectual property, and employment law.

Mr. Ain has substantial experience representing producers and production companies, serving as production counsel across a wide range of film, television and new media projects, and advising on development, financing, rights acquisitions, talent agreements, clearances, fair use, and distribution in both non-fiction and scripted productions.

In addition, Mr. Ain represents a diverse roster of creative talent, including writers, actors, directors, editors, authors, athletes, and models.  He is well-versed in the full range of entertainment and literary matters, negotiating transactions for clients in areas including podcasts, theater, live music, book publishing, sports, and endorsements.  He has represented Academy Award, Golden Globe and Emmy-winning talent, in addition to emerging artists.

Mr. Ain is often quoted by major media outlets, including the Associated Press, Business Insider, Sports Illustrated, and Law360, for his insights on entertainment, media, intellectual property and NIL-related legal issues.  He is a recipient of Realscreen’s “Factual Under 40” Award, which recognizes emerging leaders in documentary and unscripted entertainment.  He regularly moderates film festival panels including DOC NYC and is a frequent guest speaker for industry organizations such as the Producers Guild and law schools, including Yale Law School.

Before joining RPJ, Mr. Ain was an attorney at Peikoff Mahan Law Office, where he represented actors, directors, writers, and other creative professionals.  He began his legal career at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, advising corporate clients on finance transactions, mergers and acquisitions, executive compensation, and estate planning for high-net-worth individuals.

Mr. Ain also has significant experience in sports law. He has worked with Major League Baseball, and served during law school as Executive Editor of the Harvard Journal of Sports & Entertainment Law. Before his legal career, he worked in the U.S. and internationally for Google.

Mr. Ain is admitted to practice in the State of New York and the District of Columbia, and he works regularly out of the firm’s Washington, D.C. and New York offices.

Mr. Ain received his undergraduate degree in Economics and Psychology from Brown University (B.A., magna cum laude, 2009) and his law degree from Harvard Law School (J.D., cum laude, 2015).

Services

• Member of MLRC Media Deals Committee
• Judge of the 2023 Cardoza Invitational Negotiation on Entertainment, Media and Art (CINEMA) Competition

Honors

• Selected for the Realscreen Factual Under 40 List for 2024 (recognizing top talent in the unscripted and nonfiction media industry at or under the age of forty)
• Selected for The 2025 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation (recognizing leading lawyers shaping the future of the global legal profession in Entertainment, Media, and Literary law)

Noted Speaking Engagements

• “Ask Us Anything” Panelist with RPJ Partner, Nicole Page, DOC NYC PRO: Producing and Directing Day – November 18, 2025
• “Essentials of Legal Research and Writing” Guest Speaker, Yale Law School – February 12, 2025
• “Ask Us Anything” Panelist with RPJ Partner, Nicole Page, DOC NYC PRO: Producing and Directing Day – November 21, 2024
• “RPJ Counsel Daniel Ain Invited to Speak to PGA Create Fellows” RPJ – December 15, 2023
• “Documentary Ethics and the Law” Panelist with RPJ Partner, Nicole Page, DOC NYC PRO: Producing and Directing Day- November 10, 2023
• “Dialogue: RealScreen” Workshop Panelist with RPJ Partner, Nicole Page – September 13, 2023
• “New York Times Vs. Sullivan: Defamation and the Future of Documentary Filmmaking,” Panelist with RPJ Partner, Nicole Page, DOC NYC PRO: Producing Day – November 11, 2022

Selected Articles & Publications

• “Copyright Cases To Watch In 2026” by Theresa Schliep, featuring Daniel Ain, Law360 – January 2, 2026
• “Jack Nicklaus Wins $50 Million in Defamation Case Against Namesake Company” RPJ – November 4, 2025
• “Daniel Ain Raises Title IX Concerns Over NCAA’s $2.8 Billion Athlete Compensation Settlement in an Article for ‘Business Insider'” RPJ – July 9, 2025
• “The NCAA settlement is a big win for football players. For other athletes, the picture is murkier.” by Mackenzie Meaney, featuring Daniel Ain, Business Insider – July 4, 2025
• “Hollywood Strikes Back: Disney and Universal Sue A.I. Platform Midjourney for Copyright Infringement” RPJ – June 24, 2025
• “Nico and Madden Iamaleava transfers raise issue of whether NIL collectives will recoup payments” by Eric Olson, featuring Daniel Ain, Associated Press – April 24, 2025
• “Expert Highlights Top NIL Considerations in College Football Transfer Portal Frenzy” by Maddy Hudak, featuring Daniel Ain, Sports Illustrated – April 17, 2025
• “Duke’s ‘White Lotus’ Cameo Not Likely An IP Problem For HBO” by Theresa Schliep, featuring Daniel Ain, Law360 – March 28, 2025
• “Jury Finds in Favor of Apple Inc. in Copyright Battle Over ‘Servant'” RPJ – January 28, 2025
• “Leaked MrBeast docs reveal ‘Beast Games’ contestant terms — including a $500K penalty for divulging info” by Amanda Perelli, featuring Daniel Ain, Business Insider – December 19, 2024
• “Netflix’s ‘Our Father’: A Fertile Ground for Lawsuits and Legal Drama” RPJ – December 12, 2024
• “A Win for Visual Artists in the Copyright Battle Against AI Art Generators” RPJ – August 20, 2024
• “A Major Challenge to the NCAA’s NIL Restrictions” RPJ – February 15, 2024
• “A Sign of the Times: Copyright Lawsuit Filed Against Microsoft and Open AI by The New York Times” RPJ – January 4, 2024
• “Back at the Table: SAG-AFTRA Negotiations Resume” RPJ – October 26, 2023
• “The NCAA’s Summer of Legal Battles” RPJ – September 14, 2023
• “No Laughing Matter: Sarah Silverman’s Copyright Suit Against Meta” RPJ- July 28, 2023
• “Viewpoint: Andy Warhol, Prince and fair use — what doc-makers need to know” Realscreen – June 19, 2023
• “A Closer Look at the DGA’s Tentative Agreement” RPJ – June 13, 2023
• “The Copyright Battle Between Trump and Woodward: Who Owns the Interviews?” RPJ – April 27, 2023
• “Gonzalez v. Google: Supreme Court Case Puts Section 230 Immunity on the Line”  RPJ – February 28, 2023
• “The FTX Film Rights Bidding War: Considerations for Sellers and Buyers” RPJ – December 13, 2022