Technology Licenses & Transactions

Written by Patrick van Eecke and Atoon Dierick

On 6 July 2015, the European Commission launched a public consultation on the current Audiovisual Media Services Directive 2010/13/EU (“AVMSD”), entitled “A media framework for the 21st century”.

The aim of this public consultation, launched as a result of the rapidly shifting


Continue Reading EU: European Commission declares Audiovisual Media Services Directive rules open for debate

I have expressed some strong views on the (lack of) merits of a specific net neutrality rule in the EU before (here and here).

It was with interest then that I read the language of the “final compromise test” of the proposed new regulation on the Connected Continent from the EC. This cover two things principally – (1) it tries to abolish roaming in the EC; and (2) it contains a net-neutrality-like “open internet” obligation. This blog post will discuss only the latter.

Whilst advocates of net neutrality have criticised the regulation for allowing too many get-outs (in respect of “specialised services” I am much more concerned about the potential downsides in terms of restricting competition and the launch of new services. As explained below however there is also one, little commented-upon, aspect of the new regulation which will, I think, be beneficial and should be much-welcomed by  consumer advocates.Continue Reading Net Neutrality, the EU “open internet” right and the new rule on internet access speeds

Written by Kit Burden

For many years, the liability provisions regarding data protection issues have been something of a “negotiation backwater” in the context of outsourcing transactions. From a customer perspective, there has been a sensitivity about such provisions from a brand/customer relations perspective which has led them to seek
Continue Reading Data Protection Regulation – the coming storm for outsourcing contracts

Written by Brian Joe

The Internet of Things (IoT) – a network of devices connected through the internet offering almost limitless possibilities for convenience, efficiency, safety and control through remote sensing, monitoring, and, ultimately, learning – is quickly becoming a reality. According to some estimates, by the year 2020 there
Continue Reading Are You Prepared for the Next Information Age?

Written by Eamon Holley, Legal Director, and Mohamed Moussallati, Legal Consultant, both based in Dubai, UAE

Drones (also known as unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs) of different shapes, sizes and specifications are definitely one of ‘the’ gadgets of the year and over the last few years have become increasingly available
Continue Reading DRONES IN THE UAE: THE LEGAL PITFALLS

Written by Kit Burden

In recent times, we have seen an increasing number of deals where the required services have been delivered from the cloud, i.e., from remotely hosted solutions, usually (albeit not always) offered on a “one to many” basis and on a subscription/usage based model. This is obviously
Continue Reading Cloudy Days….Where Next for Outsourcing?

The DLA Piper Internet of Things group just launched a series of webinars on legal and business issues of the Internet of Things.  The first webinar will cover the Business and Legal Framework of the Internet of Things and will take place on Wednesday 22 April 2015 from 3.00 to 4.00pm UK time.
Continue Reading Internet of Things: Business and Legal Framework Webinar

Written by Mark Lehberg

As we all know, companies enter into non-disclosure or confidentiality agreements in the normal course of business to protect their trade secrets and other confidential information. In addition, many technology and commercial agreements include non-disclosure and confidentiality terms. Two of the many issues that need to
Continue Reading “We have an NDA, what do you mean our trade secrets are no longer protected?”

Written by Ceyhun Pehlivan

The Spanish Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism will finance up to 80% of 13 projects linked to the development of smart cities, from which 27 Spanish cities are expected to benefit.

In June 2014, Red.es, Spain’s internet and ICT development agency, had issued the call
Continue Reading Spain: €13 Million to Promote 27 Smart Cities