Herkko Hietanen
Partner
Herkko Hietanen is the founding partner of Reson Law Firm, a Helsinki-based boutique practice serving technology companies, public entities, and private individuals at the intersection of law and technology. With over 24 years of experience in IT and technology law, he combines legal expertise with genuine technical fluency — he holds degrees in both law and software engineering and has professionally coded web applications.
Since 2001, Herkko has participated in over 100 copyright-related court proceedings and defended his doctoral dissertation in technology law at LUT University, focusing on the automation of copyright licensing. He has conducted research at Harvard University's Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, MIT, and UC Berkeley, and has authored nearly 30 peer-reviewed publications in international journals on IT and media law.
Herkko is a licensed litigation counsel in Finland and has completed the Finnish Bar Association examination as well as the Finnish Chamber of Commerce Arbitration Academy. Since 2023, he has served as an expert arbitrator in copyright dispute mediation (ERMI) proceedings, appointed by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture. He also holds a Professional Scrum Master certification, which provides him with practical insight into modern software development workflows—an asset that proves valuable in technology disputes and IT contract negotiations.
His client base spans gaming studios such as Supercell, quantum computing companies like IQM Finland, blockchain startups, SaaS providers, government agencies, and universities. Reson operates as a lean, senior-only firm: every matter is handled by experienced lawyers with deep domain knowledge rather than delegated to juniors.
Herkko is a regular expert witness before Finnish parliamentary committees during legislative processes and a sought-after speaker and trainer on topics including AI regulation, copyright in the age of generative AI, deepfake law, and data protection.
Practice areas
Artificial Intelligence & AI Regulation
IT Contracts & Software Licensing (SaaS, Cloud, ERP)
Copyright & Intellectual Property
Data Protection & Privacy (GDPR)
Information Security Law
Open Source Licensing
Blockchain & Crypto Law
Employment & Corporate Law for Tech Companies
Dispute Resolution & Litigation (Civil, Criminal, Arbitration)
Public Procurement (Technology)
Education
PhD (KTT) — Technology Law, LUT University (Doctoral dissertation on automated copyright licensing)
MSc (DI) — Software Engineering and Business, Aalto University
LLM (OTM) — Law, University of Helsinki
Professional Scrum Master I — Scrum.org
Certifications & admissions
- Licensed Litigation Counsel (Luvan saanut oikeudenkäyntiavustaja), Finland
- Finnish Bar Association Examination (Asianajajatutkinto)
- Finnish Chamber of Commerce Arbitration Academy
- ERMI Expert Arbitrator, appointed by the Ministry of Education and Culture (2023–)
Research positions
- Visiting Scholar, Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, Harvard University
- Researcher, MIT Center for Future Civic Media
- Visiting Scholar, UC Berkeley School of Information
- Researcher, Helsinki Institute for Information Technology (HIIT)
- Researcher, Aalto University, LUT University, University of Helsinki, University of Jyväskylä
Notable clients & engagements
Supercell (HR processes and documentation), IQM Finland (€11.2M funding round), Catchbox (IPR and employee share offerings), Nolla Games (Noita game — IP, licensing, contracts), Digital and Population Data Services Agency DVV (legal advisory on European digital identity wallet), CSC – IT Center for Science (Digivisio 2030 project), Trivore (ISMS development), Duunitori (data protection and HR), Steerpath, Druid, Gevulot, Playsome, Rakettitiede, Palkkaus.fi, and numerous other technology companies and public sector organizations.
Civic engagement & associations
Co-founder, Electronic Frontier Finland (EFFI), board member 2001–2005
Long-time lead of Creative Commons Finland (translated the first CC licenses into Finnish)
Finnish editor, Kluwer Copyright Database
Member, Finnish IT Law Association
Member, Finnish Copyright Association
Certified Board Member (Hyväksytty hallituksen jäsen, HHJ)