Summary

Jon Tandler combines his analytical and creative skills to provide clients with holistic counsel.

Jon is an intellectual property, information technology, and business transactions lawyer. He has been practicing in these specialized legal fields for more than 40 years and remains passionate about his work and serving his clients.

He works with diverse clients in diverse industries, representing private companies, tax-exempt organizations and individuals engaged in technology design and manufacturing, civil engineering, aerospace, book and web publishing, performing arts, gallery operation, and employee training and coaching.

Clients appreciate Jon’s attention to detail and his thoroughness and responsiveness. His transparent, professional, and personable approach make communications easy and straightforward.

Intellectual Property

In his intellectual property practice, Jon emphasizes copyright, book publishing, and licensing law. Central to his book publishing practice, he represents independent publishers, distributors, packagers, trade associations, literary agencies, and select authors.

Information Technology

Jon’s information technology projects emphasize developing and procuring software applications and related technology and services for institutional client use.

Business Transactions

His business transaction services support small- and middle-market companies with intra-company governance, business acquisitions and sales, contract review, and creating vendor, customer, and other commercial agreements. His education and work in finance and experience in business transactions informs his technical, creative, business, and practical approach to projects. His focus is tailored and responsive to the needs of each project, helping each client succeed through experienced advocacy and getting to balanced and fair agreements.

Jon’s projects are cross-disciplinary. They require (1) his knowledge in a particular substantive area such as copyright, trademark or Internet law; (2) using best practices in contracts preparation for a particular discipline, such as a publishing agreement or brand license; and (3) familiarity with the customs and practices of a specific industry such as translation publishing or engineering.

The diversity of Jon’s legal work, projects, clients, and the ongoing creativity and technical focus required of him is a natural extension of his passion for music, especially jazz, as an amateur percussionist and hand drummer.

Awards

  • Honoree, Best Lawyers in America, Litigation – Intellectual Property, Denver (2021 – present)

  • Honoree, Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Intellectual Property, Colorado (2015 – present)

Education

  • Washington University School of Law

    J.D., 1982

  • Indiana University Kelley School of Business

    B.S., Finance, 1979

Admissions

  • State - Colorado
  • State - California
  • State - Missouri (inactive status)

Notable Matters

Jon represents clients on a wide variety of projects, which include the following examples:

Intellectual Property

  • Representing a Colorado municipality on the sale of its sports league trademark portfolio.
  • Preparing the legal documentation for ownership, licensing and protecting the copyright in the mission patch for the first ever civilian mission to the International Space Station.
  • Structuring and documenting a professional firm’s transfer of its media portfolio to an independent company to expand and monetize.
  • Creating the production agreements for a film documentary about early missionary aviation.
  • Representing clients on the sale of established, sought-after (high value) domain names to social media companies.
  • Representing select authors on the legal aspects of book publishing projects, as self-publishers and with traditional and hybrid publishers.
  • Preparing all of the necessary intra-company trademark licensing documentation for a device manufacturer with registered trademarks in over 25 countries.
  • Representing clients on the enforcement of their intellectual property and contract rights working with Sherman & Howard’s intellectual property litigation attorneys. 

Information Technology

  • Representing health care firms in procuring electronic health records technology in compliance with applicable regulatory requirements.
  • Representing a radiologic imaging firm on its license of a suite of billing software and related maintenance and support.
  • Representing a telecommunications company in its licensing of information technologies for (i) online media buying coupled with additional agile software development services, (ii) call center operation, and (iii) property tax management.
  • Representing an international flour-milling and ingredient company in its license of an enterprise resource platform (ERP) and related development, support and maintenance services. 

Business Transactions

  • Reviewing and negotiating the intellectual property and information technology representations and related covenants for several mergers and acquisitions.
  • Restructuring and preparing all of the client and contractor agreements for a civil engineering firm.
  • Creating corporate documents (operating agreements, bylaws and conflict-of-interest policies for tax exempt organizations).
  • Preparing the standard terms of sale for a Colorado developer and manufacturer of agricultural processing equipment and related technologies.

Professional Affiliations

  • Colorado Bar Association, Intellectual Property Law Section.
  • University of Denver Publishing Institute, faculty (1997 – 2024).
  • PubWest
    • Associate member (2010 – 2023)
    • General counsel (2010 – 2022)
    • Hall of Fame Award (2020)
    • Associate Member of the Year Award (2011)

CIVIC ACTIVITIES

  • Food Bank of the Rockies
    • Board of Directors (2011 – 2017)
    • Board chair and executive committee (2015 – 2017)
    • Endowment board (2017 – 2021)
  • Mount Zion Health Systems, Inc.
    • Board of Directors (1992 – 1996)
    • Board president (1994 – 1996)