Stephen Stanley is a leading intellectual property licensing agent and transactional attorney with over thirty years of experience in the pitching, negotiation, drafting and finalization of complex commercial deals and the management of strategic business relationships throughout the world. Stephen currently runs Matrix Brand Dynamics, an active licensing agency representing both licensors and manufacturers, and offering expert witness services. He has served as Vice President of International Licensing for Hasbro in London as well as Senior Vice President in charge of Global Licensing & Business Affairs for JAKKS Pacific Inc. He most recently led the successful establishment of two new start-up businesses for Jazwares in the licensed costume arena as well as in licensed pet toys.

Stephen has negotiated over a thousand product merchandising contracts for both licensors and licensees, including multiple agreements valued in the millions of dollars such as FROZEN master toy rights with Disney Enterprises, STAR WARS master toy rights and costume rights with LucasFilm Ltd., BATMAN toy rights with Warner Bros., MY LITTLE PONY and TRANSFORMER multi-product category out-licensing rights for Hasbro worldwide, and inventor and technology patent license agreements. He has further completed production, financing and distribution agreements for hundreds of hours of children’s animated TV programs (e.g., My Little Pony, Transformers, Action Man, James Bond Jr., Potato Head Kids), TV Gameshows (e.g., Cluedo, Scattergories), international product distribution agreements, as well as social advertising and promotional deals.

In addition to having led Hasbro’s in-house IP group, Stephen has served as general counsel for small to mid-size toy and game companies, which included managing the first-ever licensed collectible trading card game agreements. He has also managed global trademark and copyright registration portfolios, as well as managed United States federal IP litigation. Stephen is admitted to practice law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the State and Federal District Courts of Rhode Island.