Communications Service + Technology

The firm’s European Practice is active in representing Communications Services and Technology companies.  Representative engagements include:

Matters

• Advising Altera, the world’s pioneer in system-on-a-programmable-chip solutions, on licensing and distribution agreements, including the development of EU-wide template agreements, on various confidential contractual matters and on EU export control issues.
• Advising Amana, a leading Japanese stock photo company, in the $51 million sale of its EU and U.S. subsidiaries to Getty Images, the world’s largest imagery company. The deal included post-closing image representation and production facility arrangements overseas and in Japan between Amana and Getty Images.
• Advising Tokyo-listed Dainippon Screen on its acquisition of UK-based Inca Digital Printers, the specialist wide-format digital inkjet printer manufacturer, in an agreement totalling £30 million.
• Representing Toshiba Corporation in an investment in Elixent Holdings Limited.  Co-investors included 3i, GIMV, NIF Ventures and Matsushita.

Software and Services

• Advising Amadeus Global Travel Distribution on its reservations, inventory and departure control systems integration and services agreements with a number of global airlines and travel distributors.
• Advising direct marketing service provider Harte-Hanks on licensing, telephone and e-mail marketing, distribution, and sourcing contracts.
• Developing template licence, maintenance, service, and distribution agreements for Informatica.
• Advising Mercury Interactive, a world leader in enterprise testing, tuning and performance management solutions, on licensing and commercial matters in Europe.
• Advising Novadaq on the "Europeanisation" of EULAs.
• Advising Pixology plc on licensing and commercial matters.
• Advising Research in Motion (suppliers of the Blackberry) on licensing issues in multiple European jurisdictions.
• Representing Sonic Solutions, a leading supplier of DVD creation software, in its $80 million acquisition of the consumer software division of Roxio, Inc.
• Assisting Sterling Commerce with contractual matters in multiple European jurisdictions.
• Advising TDM Group (Technology Development and Management) on a range of contractual matters including a Master Services Agreement and customer contacts.
• Advising Thomson SA in its $110 million acquisition of Canopus, a developer of high-performance video encoding/decoding technology based in Kobe, Japan.
• Advising Verint Systems Inc., a security and business intelligence software provider, in the acquisition of UK-based CM Insight Limited, a privately-held customer management solution provider.

E-Commerce and Media

• Advising Ask.com on on-line terms and conditions and privacy matters.
• Advising CMC Markets plc, a leading software-based exchange trading platform, on its agreements and basis of trading.
• Advising Fish4 Trading Ltd on e-commerce matters.
• Advising Future Internet Technologies on e-commerce issues, including domain name registration and acquisition, and contracting strategies.
• Advising iVillage on online terms and conditions.
• Advising SIMAlliance on click-through licensing terms.

Telecommunications

• Advising the Alfred Mann Foundation, California, on UK radio frequency licensing issues in relation to radio controlled bionic implants.
• Advising Glowpoint, one of the world’s leading broadcast quality, IP-based, video communications service providers on UK telecommunications matters.
• Advising Hibernia on UK legal aspects of telecoms services agreement.
• Advising the satellite operator ICO Communications on UK licensing issues.
• Advising NewStep Networks on service agreements with major UK telecoms operator.
• Advising NTT DoCoMo on Universal Service regulation across Europe.
• Advising the National Policing Information Agency on the consequences of the £2 billion sale by Telefonica of Airwave O2, the main provider of radio services to all UK emergency services (primarily Police, Fire and Ambulance).
• Advising Royal & SunAlliance on the procurement of Global WAN services from BT and VoIP services from IBM and on its European mobile contracts.
• Advising Telesys on telecoms regulation relating to GSM gateways.
• Advising Tiscali on commercial and legal aspects in relation to DSL wholesale in Europe.
• Advising Turner Broadcasting on procurement of capacity for its playout centre.
• Advising Watanyia on auction bidding process for national mobile GSM licence.