TMT Talk

5G has proved to be an important and transformative technology in an increasingly digital world. Parallel and complementary is the significant growth of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) sector. This sector is disruptive and has varied applications, and will further prove to be a useful asset in the post pandemic era  - and is projected to be an increasingly key and exciting technology around th...

Major industries like Tech, Healthcare, Finance, Energy, Manufacturing, Transportation and Retail have started to rely heavily on artificial intelligence and machine learning, making it one of the fastest-growing technologies in the world. In this episode of TMT Talk, our panel of experts look into the complexity of AI/ML, and give their perspective on specific trends and issues tech companies sho...

The introduction of new technologies inevitably brings new data privacy (and protection) challenges. In this episode of TMT Talk, Carolina Pardo, Lothar Determann, and Michaela Nebel discuss how the EU and the US respond to these challenges. Our experts highlight the latest developments in privacy legislation and data transfer restrictions in these jurisdictions and provide their  perspective on w...

Intellectual property (IP) and data ha Importance of tax considerations when planning for tech transactions have been essential to the rapid growth of tech companies. IP, specifically the ability to use, protect, and monetize it, is a driving deal component in tech M&A. Thorough due diligence of the target's IP  and its compliance with applicable data privacy/protection laws is crucial to mana...

Antitrust authorities have embraced a position of intensified scrutiny, giving rise to significant challenges for technology companies. In this episode,  Kim Sartin  is joined by  Paul Johnson  and  Brian Burke  who delve  into key developments in merger control across the US, Europe and UK, the emerging theories of harm being employed to challenge major transactions and look ahead to future antit...

Recently there have been less mega deals but the technology industry still commands a significant portion of the M&A market. In this episode of TMT Talk,  Tino Marz ,  Matt Jacobson , and  Hong Zhang  offer a multijurisdictional perspective on the current state of tech M&A. Our panel of experts share their insights on the risks and challenges that businesses should pay attention to, as wel...

The TMT sector is constantly transforming. Major TMT players regularly conduct strategic reviews which can lead to potential divestments or carve-outs of business units, key assets and divisions into independent entities, reshaping the industry dynamics. In this episode,  Kate Alexander  is joined by  Robert Wright  and  Darcy Down  who dive into the current market conditions driving opportunities...

Baker McKenzie's seventh annual report,  The Year Ahead: Global Disputes Forecast  offers invaluable insights from a survey of more than 600 senior lawyers on disputes risks and predictions for 2024. In this episode of TMT Talk,  Teresa Michaud ,  Ryan Grant  and  Francesca Richmond  discuss the overarching trends in TMT disputes and provide actionable advice on mitigating risks and enhancing prep...

The metaverse continues to be a trending topic across industries but is still largely undefined as businesses have yet to grasp the full potential of this new technology. In this episode of TMT Talk, Pablo Usle, Zelander Gray, and Sara Pitt share their insights on how navigating disputes may be transformed in the context of virtual worlds, such as metaverse. Our panel of experts discuss what compa...

Heightened sanctions and export controls targeting key technologies and the TMT sector are an important trend of recent years and reflect the current geopolitical climate. In this episode  Anne Petterd ,  Frank Pan , and  Alison Stafford Powell  discuss the practical impact these sanctions have on TMT companies and what TMT companies should do in their strategic plans to de-risk their exposure.

As layoffs hit the headlines in the post-pandemic world it raises the question as to what is next when it comes to managing work forces. In this episode of TMT Talk,  Susan Eandi ,  Kim Sartin  and  Jonathan Isaacs  discuss key factors of workforce reduction, developing restructuring plans, cost-cutting measures to consider and opportunistic hiring across the US, Europe and Asia Pacific in this un...

The OECD has provided further updates on its Pillar 2 initiative and some countries have responded with their intention to implement as early as 2024. In this episode, Ciro Meza, Miles Humphrey, and Allen Tan highlight key points of the new guidelines, questions that companies have been raising and how these may affect TMT companies. Since the impact of Pillar 2 will transcend various functions wi...

The metaverse concept is going mainstream and is creating opportunities for companies to scale and diversify their businesses. In this episode of TMT Talk,  Teresa Michaud ,  Ashlin Perumall , and  Francis Donnat  discuss what made metaverses into one of the biggest trending tech topics and what relevant legal aspects should businesses be aware of as they continue to evolve and become accessible t...

The fourth instalment of Baker McKenzie's TMT Looking Ahead delves into 5G, which with its high speed, ultra-low latency and ability to simultaneously connect multiple devices continues to drive global business opportunities. 5G use cases are increasingly popular in all levels of infrastructure and across industries and, as such, continue to attract the scrutiny of governments and regulators. In t...

The arrival of the metaverse presents opportunities for companies, as it is quickly becoming a platform for the distribution of products and services. The opportunities come with unique and complex legal challenges, given the relative novelty of this concept. In this episode,  Teresa Michaud ,  Jose Maria Mendez , and  Marcela Trigo * focus on the possible issues that companies may face when it co...

Special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) have gained a lot of traction in the recent years and are expected to keep growing in popularity across markets. In this episode of TMT Talk,  Raffaele Giarda ,  Adam Farlow , and  Ivy Wong  discuss what lies behind this sudden boom, the current state of SPACs in the US, Europe, and Asia Pacific, and what these markets are experiencing from a regulator...

Last year was a landmark year for the Interactive Entertainment sector with record M&A and financing deal values amounting to USD 85 billion, but this was easily exceeded by even higher deal values in the first few months of 2022. In this episode,  Teresa Michaud ,  Lisa Fonteno t, and  Tino Marz  discuss the key developments that defined the M&A and investment market in recent few months...

The adoption of cloud services is essential for Interactive Entertainment companies that are looking to expand their businesses by offering content on demand and cloud-based games. In this episode,  Teresa Michaud ,  Carlos Vela-Trevino  and  Dominic Edmondson  look into the factors that will affect the demand for cloud services and the issues and challenges that have an impact on this sector's cl...

The international tax landscape is expected to change with the addition of new obligations, which would also require additional due diligence in tech transactions. In this episode of TMT Talk,  Raffaele Giarda ,  Maria Antonia Azpeititia , and  Erik Christenson  discuss the impact of Digital Services Taxes, the OECD's Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 initiatives, the possibility of a US tax reform and what c...

There is a continued uptick in compliance and investigation activity in the technology sector and it is expected that this will remain true in the future. In this episode of TMT Talk, Carolina Pardo, Jerome Tomas, and Yindi Gesinde discuss the current state of the enforcement landscape, the issues, risk, and opportunities that technology companies need to consider given this, and what factors migh...

The Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), Thailand's first law on data protection, is set to come into full effect on June 1 2022 and is designed to address key issues regarding the collection, use, or disclosure of personal data. With its extraterritorial reach, the PDPA is expected to significantly affect an increasingly global tech sector. In this episode, Lothar Determann, Kritiyanee Buranatrev...

Tech M&A experienced unprecedented growth in 2021, with an increase of 71% compared to 2020. As the tech sector continues to set records in deal value and volume, it has been more crucial than ever to examine and analyse M&A trends and get a sense of what to expect in 2022 and beyond. Raffaele Giarda, William Holder, and Sze Shing Tan provide their perspectives on these trends, and gives t...

Baker McKenzie's  TMT Looking Ahead 2022  in a five-part series presents themes, insights, and recommendations that TMT companies should know. The first report focuses on  Tech Regulation and Compliance . This episode of TMT Talk covers one of the key topics in this report: developments in artificial intelligence in the US and China. Listen to Carolina Pardo, Bradford Newman, and Zheng Zhou share...

In this episode, Harry Valetk, is joined by Carlos Dávila-Peniche, based in  Mexico City and Daniel Villanueva, based in Guadalajara, to discuss consumer protection in video games with a special focus on age ratings. Join us to hear more about how to meet challenges around age ratings, global classifications, localization expectations, how to comply with age ratings in app stores or console purcha...

Baker McKenzie's fifth annual report,  The Year Ahead: Global Disputes Forecast 2022 , took insights from a survey of 600 senior lawyers worldwide on disputes risk and future trends across four continents. In this episode of TMT Talk, Teresa Michaud, Cyrus Vance, Ashish Chugh, Stephen Reynolds, and Francesca Richmond highlight key points in the report and discuss how TMT companies can prepare for...