Kristina Ehle

“ Working at the intersection of technology and law, I advise clients in developing, commercializing, and deploying innovative products and services.

Kristina has more than 20 years of experience advising clients across many industries, including the software, internet, mobility, media, and consumer electronics industries, with a particular focus on technology-driven and IP-heavy transactions. Her legal practice focuses on matters relating to the development, licensing, and use of software; cloud platforms and digital services (such as software as a service, product-embedded software, IPTV, music and  film streaming services, apps, and podcasts); intellectual property law (in particular, copyright and trade-secrets issues); and consumer and commercial law. She also advises clients in the digital transformation of their business structures and processes, including implementing new technologies such as cloud services, machine learning applications, new mobility/automotive solutions, distributed-ledger technology, and the use of open source software.

Kristina regularly drafts and negotiates a wide variety of complex transactions, including:

• Software, apps, and skills-development and licensing agreements
• Joint development and cooperation agreements
• Digital content licensing agreements
• IT outsourcing agreements
• Contracts along the supply and distribution chain for goods and services

Her clients range from start-ups to large international corporations based in Europe, Japan, and the U.S. Clients appreciate her extensive experience in complex cross-border contract negotiations. In addition, she advises clients on questions regarding IT security and liability for defects in software and hardware products. Kristina routinely provides intellectual property and commercial law advice in corporate transactions.

Kristina is a frequent speaker and writer on legal matters regarding IT, digital services, and intellectual property law topics. Some recent engagements include:

• “Neues IT-Vertragsrecht für digitale Inhalte und Dienste gegenüber Verbrauchern”, Computer und Recht, November 2019, Volume 35, Issue 11
• Software Nutzung über Cloud, App & Co. – Services und Vertragsmodelle, Conference Kölner Tage IT-Recht, 2019
• “New EU Regulation to Strengthen the Free Movement of Data”, Pratt’s Privacy & Cybersecurity Law Report, February/March 2019, Volume 5, No.2
• “Time to Hit Pause: Copyright Infringement on User Generated Platforms – When Is the Platform Provider Liable for Damages?” Cyberspace Lawyer, Thomson Reuters, March 2019, Volume 24, Issue 2
• “Kaufen ohne Grenzen – die neue Geoblocking–Verordnung der EU”, Computer und Recht, December 2018

Prior to joining MoFo, Kristina worked as in-house counsel at Bertelsmann Music Group, as head of eBay Group’s contract department in Germany, and as a lawyer at the Berlin office of a large international law firm.

Kristina is a partner at Morrison & Foerster's German office in Berlin and a member of our Technology Transactions Group.

Representative Experience

• DocuSign, Inc. on customer and reseller agreements for its eSignature cloud services in Germany (e.g., with Deutsche Telekom).
• enercity AG on cloud platform as well as software development and licensing agreements, for a digital sales and customer platform.
• QNX, a Blackberry subsidiary, on software licensing and joint development agreements with a Tier 1 automotive supplier.
• SoftBank Vision Fund on its approximately EUR 460m investment in online platform Auto1 Group—one of the largest venture capital transactions in German history.
• TDK and its subsidiary EPCOS on an IT carve-out for all IT infrastructure services and applications required for the establishment of a joint venture with Qualcomm.
• Tele Columbus on agreements for the set-up and maintenance of a technical platform (including hard- and software supply) for advanced TV services (linear TV and Video on Demand).
• United Internet/1&1 on the development of its integrated IPTV and video-on-demand product “1&1 Digital TV” for the provision of TV and VoD contents of third-party providers.