Sy Damle is a leading lawyer on copyright, artificial intelligence, and emerging technology. A former software engineer, Department of Justice litigator, and General Counsel of the US Copyright Office, he brings a rare combination of technical fluency, courtroom experience, and senior government perspective to some of the most consequential legal questions facing technology companies today.
Sy serves as Global Chair of Latham’s leading Copyright, Privacy & Communications Practice and Global Vice Chair of the firm’s Band 1 Artificial Intelligence Practice. He represents leading AI, technology, media, and digital-platform companies in high-stakes litigation and advises them on novel legal issues arising from rapidly evolving technologies and business models.
A significant part of Sy’s practice focuses on the developing legal framework for artificial intelligence. He represents AI companies in major copyright litigation concerning the development and training of generative AI models and counsels clients on copyright and other intellectual property issues arising from the creation, training, and deployment of AI systems. His work spans questions of fair use, training data, model development, AI-generated content, and the application of existing copyright principles to new technologies.
Sy also plays an active role in the broader policy debate surrounding AI and intellectual property. He has testified before Congress on the intersection of generative AI and copyright law and has appeared before the US Copyright Office on emerging copyright issues. Government agencies, policymakers, and industry participants regularly seek his perspective on how existing legal frameworks should apply to new technologies.
Beyond AI, Sy has extensive experience litigating complex copyright and technology disputes for music streaming services, software companies, online platforms, and other technology and media businesses. His practice includes high-stakes trials, appellate matters, regulatory proceedings before the US Copyright Office and Copyright Royalty Board, and strategic counseling on products and business models at the frontier of copyright law.
Before joining Latham, Sy served as General Counsel and Associate Register of Copyrights at the US Copyright Office, where he oversaw the agency’s litigation, regulatory, and other legal work. Earlier in his career, he was a litigator at the US Department of Justice, handling intellectual property, administrative law, and constitutional matters.
Before becoming a lawyer, Sy worked as a software engineer, an experience that continues to inform his approach to matters involving artificial intelligence, software, computer systems, and networks. He is known for translating technically complex issues into clear legal and strategic arguments for courts, regulators, policymakers, and business leaders.
Sy has taught copyright law at George Washington University and served as an adviser to the American Law Institute’s Restatement of Copyright Law project. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the National Children’s Museum and as Technology Chair for the Edward Coke Appellate Inn of Court.
He previously clerked for Judge Sandra L. Lynch of the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
Sy’s recent experience includes representing:
Sy Damle, Gabe Fleet, Andy Gass, Britt Lovejoy, David Marriott, Al Pfeiffer, Alli Stillman, Jonathan West, and Joe Wetzel recognized as leaders in the music industry.
Chambers USA recognized the firm’s market leadership across three marquee, high-demand practices.
Latham litigation teams secured an appellate victory in rate-setting litigation under an antitrust consent decree governing Broadcast Music, Inc., and defeated the first-ever attempt to apply Washington's 1984 Telephone Buyers' Protection Act to modern smartphones in a consumer class action.