Disputes in Virtual Worlds

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 preparedness. Tune in to gain strategies for navigating the complexities of TMT disputes with confidence.

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 well as tools and mechanisms that are important to know in order address such challenges.

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 companies need to consider when it comes to metaverse disputes and the challenges that arise from metaverse disputes in key areas such as employment and content moderation.

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 unique economic climate.

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 within a business, our experts will share their insights on how TMT companies should react to these developments and when they should start taking action in light of the implementation timelines that have been announced.

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 to an audience beyond the gaming industry. For more helpful insight on these and other topics on the interactive entertainment sector, please read our short articles in Report 3 of TMT Looking Ahead 2022.

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 this episode of TMT Talk, Raffaele Giarda, Stephen Crosswell, and Mackenzie Martin discuss the evolving regulatory landscape that applies to 5G and its uses cases, with a particular focus on antitrust and patents. For more helpful insight on this and other 5G focused topics please read our short articles in Report 4 of TMT Looking Ahead 2022.

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 comes to the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights in this interactive space. For more helpful insight on these and other topics on the interactive entertainment sector, please read our short articles in Report 3 of TMT Looking Ahead 2022.

*Trench Rossi Watanabe and Baker McKenzie have executed a strategic cooperation agreement for consulting on foreign law

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 regulatory perspective, as a result of their unprecedented growth. For more helpful insight on these and other tech M&A focused topics please read our short articles in Report 2 of TMT Looking Ahead 2022.