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In brief

A tech-entwined world necessarily puts focus on technology companies and the opportunities that arise with them. TMT Talk, the Global TMT industry podcast, will help you navigate and prioritize via insights from top legal advisers in strategic technology markets. We’ll go into the issues, how they affect businesses, society, and the way players deal with them.


Contents

You can find current episodes (and subscription links) here. A brief description of each episode follows below and we hope you enjoy them:

Episode 14: Key Antitrust Compliance Issues in the TMT Industry

Antitrust risks for TMT companies, as with any company, make having a robust antitrust compliance program more important than ever. And instilling a “culture of compliance” is a crucial part of any such program. In this episode of TMT Talk, partners Carolina PardoCreighton Macy and Samantha Mobley discuss key antitrust compliance issues and how they apply to the Technology, Media, and Telecommunications sector.

Episode 13: Data security

The accelerated rate with which people have embraced a more digital society and more tech-dependent ways of working has also given rise to challenges and issues when it comes to privacy and data security. Raffaele Giarda, Amy de la Lama and Francesca Gaudino discuss data protection issues associated with telework, the inevitable increase in cybersecurity risks, and privacy and security challenges, resulting from increased usage of AI and M2M. Join our panel of experts as they continue to reveal the complexities of a technology-driven world, forever changed by the pandemic.

Episode 12: Cloud Services and the Demand for Cloud Infrastructure

In the battle against COVID-19, many countries have implemented lockdowns, quarantined citizens, and closed borders, effectively accelerating the rate of digital transformation across the globe. Our new ways of working have made virtual connection necessary, and cloud infrastructure services essential. In this episode, Steve Holmes and Sonia Ong join Raffaele Giarda in tackling the issues and opportunities surrounding the adoption and demand for cloud services.

Episode 11: Expected Developments in M&A Transactions in the TMT Sector

TMT Talk continues to identify issues relevant to the Technology, Media, and Telecommunications sector, as companies determine their next steps and strategies around COVID-19. In this episode, Raffaele Giarda, Howard Wu and Derek Liu tackle the M&A developments and trends that have emerged as tech companies find ways to adjust in the new world created in the aftermath of the pandemic. This insightful discussion features perspectives from the West Coast and China, with increased M&A activity in gaming and content production, and the relationship between the US and China as just some of key points.

Episode 10: Government interventions in the time of COVID-19

Society is slowly entering the recovery and renewal phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Countries have begun to relax their anti-COVID-19 measures and infection rates worldwide have started to see some improvement. As we attempt to recover, it is necessary to take stock of how the virus has affected economies, which will be essential in helping usher the world into a new normal. In this episode of TMT Talk, Raffaele Giarda, Koen Vanhaerents, and Nina Niejahr delve into the issues and developments around government interventions planned or already set in place to help the Technology, Media, and Telecommunications sector as it navigates the global economic crisis left in the wake of the virus.

Episode 9: Digital transformation: analysis using the SMART framework 

Technology continues to forever change the way companies and organizations around the world operate. In this episode of TMT Talk, Adrian Lawrence, Stephanie Magnus, Isabella Liu, and Paolo Sbuttoni discuss the salient points of society’s digital transformation. Using Baker McKenzie’s SMART framework, our panel of experts share their insights on hot topics such as FinTech, HealthTech, and e-Commerce.

Episode 8: Trust through tech leaders: devising a proactive approach towards regulation

Society’s attitude towards the technology sector has changed as technology has become intricately woven in our daily lives. This change in perspective and the accelerated rate with which we have come to rely on technology due to the pandemic has made it necessary for a new approach in regulation as well. In this episode of TMT Talk, Raffaele Giarda, Ben Allgrove, and Sue McLean have a thought-provoking conversation about the shift in attitudes to disruption in the sector, how the players have begun to be more proactive in terms of regulation and the new regulatory environment for technology companies that we can expect from this point forward.

Episode 7: Protectionism and trade wars in the TMT sector

The Technology, Media and Telecommunications sector continues to thrive, as e-commerce, cloud-based services/SaaS solutions and various technology solutions for work-from-home becomes increasingly relevant and in-demand. Alison Stafford Powell and Jennifer Revis join Raffaele Giarda in a discussion on the specific challenges that these tech companies experience from a protectionism and trade wars standpoint, since their endurance depends on a global supply chain. In our aim to give a complete 360 perspective, this episode will also explore the opportunities that the sector can expect from trade and customs.

Episode 6: COVID-19 and Its Impact on Antitrust in the TMT Sector

The virus’ continuing global rampage has driven companies in the Technology, Media, and Telecommunications sector to find new ways of working and new solutions brought about by the pandemic. Given this, COVID-19 antitrust-focused topics, such as collaboration among competitors, application of antitrust laws during this crisis, and antitrust enforcement on tech companies, have become singularly relevant. In this episode of TMT Talk, Raffaele GiardaCreighton Macy, and Carolina Pardo will shed light on the antitrust issues TMT companies are experiencing now and those we expect to see in the changed world after COVID-19.

Episode 5: Employment strategies in a COVID-19 world and beyond

The impact of COVID-19 has never been more visible as in the transformation of global employment. With Raffaele GiardaSusan Eandi and Bernhard Trappehl provide insights into how different technology companies handle the requirements and adjustments that inevitably come with the worldwide quarantine and the work-from-home dynamics that currently define our new normal. This episode of TMT Talk also looks into the future of work and explores what we can expect from a world beyond COVID-19.

Episode 4: Tax-specific implications of COVID-19

TMT Talk continues to be your guide for business-critical trends in the Technology, Media, and Communication sector. In this episode, we delve into the impact of COVID-19 on the key tax considerations of businesses worldwide. Kate Alexander is joined by Richard Fletcher and Tamara Levin for a deeply engaging discussion on how tax provides opportunities and creates potential major pitfalls in the advent of the pandemic.

Episode 3: Data: It’s good to share in the time of COVID-19

Data privacy and data sharing have always been contentious issues, but more so in these times when companies and private citizens are compelled to provide personal information and consumer data to aid in the fight against COVID-19. In TMT Talk’s third episode, Raffaele GiardaMagalie Dansac Le Clerc and Brian Hengesbaugh tackle the intricacies surrounding the data collection activities of governments around the world. Join us as we continue to provide insights into how the Technology, Media & Telecommunications sector responds to the challenges brought about by this global crisis.

Episode 2: Coronavirus: Impact on the TMT Sector and Supply Chain

Anne Petterd and Mattias Hedwall join Raffaele Giarda in a timely discussion on COVID-19’s impact on the TMT sector and supply chain. The episode begins with insights on how the TMT sector’s supply chain has been affected and how companies in the tech industry have chosen to respond in the last few months, and ends with providing listeners a view of possible long-term solutions to disruptions in the supply chain. With “Coronavirus: Impact on the TMT Sector and Supply Chain,” TMT Talk aims to provide you with a holistic view of how the world of Technology, Media & Telecoms has and will continue to adapt in the face of this pandemic.

Episode 1: AI in the time of Coronavirus

AI in the Time of Coronavirus tackles how companies and governments are using technology to help fight the COVID-19 outbreak and alleviate its effects.

This episode also contains discussion on the interconnected privacy and cybersecurity issues that come with investment in technological solutions during crises. With big data, predictive analytics, social media, and surveillance technology as just some of the key points, Raffaele Giarda, Jay Ruan, and Paolo Sbuttoni have an insightful conversation on how the modern world faces unprecedented challenges and fights against the pandemic and you can click here to listen.

Author

Raffaele Giarda chairs Baker McKenzie's Global Technology Media & Telecoms Industry Group and co-heads the Commercial-Corporate/M&A practice in the Firm's Italy offices. He has contributed articles to law journals, and often speaks at and moderates Italian and international conferences and seminars on IT/C legal and regulatory issues. Mr. Giarda is a lecturer at the University of Rome as well as at the Italian National School for Public Administration. He joined the Firm in 1989 and became a partner in 1999.

Author

Sharon Byrne is an Associate Director in Baker McKenzie, London office.