“Jakub Menčl stands out for his technical knowledge in relation to internet law, and technology-related investments and transactions.”
Biography
Jakub Menčl is a counsel in our EMEA M&A/Private Equity practice, focusing on intellectual property and technology law with particular expertise in M&A, technology transactions, and venture capital investments. He has broad experience in the technology sector, having advised leading market players on a variety of complex matters.
Jakub rejoined the firm after nearly a decade in industry, where he served as senior legal counsel and head of patents at Gen (formerly Avast Software), managing Gen’s worldwide patent portfolio and patenting processes. His experience also includes a role at White & Case’s Palo Alto office.
Jakub is also active in the academic community as a lecturer in Intellectual Property Law at the IP Law Center of the Faculty of Law at Charles University, combining practical experience with academic engagement. He is also a member of the global executive committee of The International Literary and Artistic Association (ALAI) and one of the co-founders and a vice chairman of the Czech national group of ALAI.
Experience
Jakub's experience includes advising:
- Pale Fire Capital, a prominent Czech-based investment firm, and founders of ROUVY, including Petr Samek, on the disposal of ROUVY, a leading indoor cycling and virtual training platform built on real-world routes, to Zwift, a California-based private company and leading global digital fitness platform.
- Gen (formerly Avast Software), a global cybersecurity company, on several high-profile transactions, including the US$1.3 billion public tender acquisition of AVG Technologies, the sale of a significant minority stake to CVC Capital Partners, and the acquisition of Czech mobile software start-up Inmite.
- Rockaway Capital, a global investment firm, on its acquisition of Netretail Holding and Heureka from Naspers for over €200 million, as well as on the purchase of a significant minority stake, with options to acquire a majority, in Vivantis, a company operating multiple e‑commerce platforms focused on perfumes, watches, and jewellery.
- AXIS Communication, a Swedish manufacturer of network cameras for the physical security and video surveillance industries, in its acquisition of 2N, the number one company in IP intercoms, from its individual shareholders.
- RSJ Private Equity, a Czech private equity fund, in a series of investments in early-stage biotech and life sciences companies in the U.S.
- Shareholders of Cognitive Security, including cofounders Mr. Martin Rehak and Mr. Michal Pechoucek, Credo Ventures and other investors, in the sale of their stake in the company to Cisco Systems.
- CGS Holding, the Czech-based rubber conglomerate with leading positions in agricultural and specialty tires, on its €1.16 billion acquisition by Swedish industrial group Trelleborg and on the landmark acquisition of Slovenian manufacturer Savatech.
- The shareholders of FIOMO Group, a group manufacturing flexible packaging, in the approx. €28 million sale of the business to the Huhtamaki group, a Finnish group of specialists in packaging for food and drink.
- Arx Equity Partners on its exit from Bochemie, a leading Czech producer of specialty chemicals, and on the acquisition of a majority stake in Fincentrum, one of the Czech Republic’s largest financial advisory firms, together with Capital Dynamics and Benson Oak.
Honors with distinction
WIPO Academy, Turin, Honors
Prague
"Jakub Menčl stands out for his technical knowledge in relation to internet law, and technology-related investments and transactions."
(Chambers Europe)
"FOSS in a Cloud Environment" (with Kuan W. Hon), in Free and Open Source Software: Policy, Law and Practice, ed. Noam Shemtov and Ian Walden, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2013
"When the Court of Justice Interferes with Interfaces", in Queen Mary Journal of Intellectual Property, 1/2012, Edward Elgar Publishing, London 2012
"Trademarks and Keywords in Jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union" (with M. Boháček), in Business Law Review, 11/2011 and 1/2012, C. H. BECK, Prague 2011, 2012
"Principle of Exhaustion of Copyright in Digital Environment", in Master of Laws in Intellectual Property – Collection of Research Papers 2008, World Intellectual Property Organization, Geneva 2009
"Licenses for Objects of Personality Rights", in Licenses in the field of Intellectual Property – Collection of Conference Papers, Metropolitan University in Prague, 2008
"Protection of Personality Rights", in Actual Questions in Intellectual Property Law and Competition Law, University of Economics in Prague, 2005