Technology

About

The fourth industrial revolution is defined by innovation and industry convergence, which are today's critical drivers of business transformation worldwide. As transformative forces, they offer tremendous growth opportunities to those poised to keep pace with the evolving rules of the new global marketplace.

White & Case shares the entrepreneurial spirit of our clients at the forefront of this complex, rapidly evolving environment. Our technology lawyers team with clients to help them make day-to-day decisions and achieve their strategic business objectives as they leverage technology while navigating legal, regulatory, and commercial challenges, often resulting in groundbreaking market developments and major shifts across industries.

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Technology Lawyers Ahead of the Curve

As local issues increasingly take on international dimensions, they require a level of skill and experience that go beyond a single jurisdiction. From the time we established our Silicon Valley office over two decades ago, our involvement in the technology community has expanded to include a dedicated, highly diverse team of more than 500 lawyers focused on technology clients in the world's top innovation markets spanning six continents.

Our Global Technology Industry Group delivers comprehensive, multidisciplinary focus combined with deep technology literacy and industry expertise to our client relationships. We advise founders and fast-growth companies, to global blue-chip technology giants and investors advancing the technology ecosystem, including private equity sponsors, venture capital, growth equity, and sovereigns. Our lawyers advise clients on the full range of issues arising in their business life cycles arising from the development, use and investment in technology, such as:

  • Data governance, storage and monetization
  • Digital transformation
  • Global risk, regulation and disputes
  • Market expansion and strategic alliances
  • Product development, launch and compliance
  • Technology investments and funding

 

We Partner to Pioneer

We know the technology industry inside and out. White & Case lawyers offer real-world, practical experience as many in our group were formerly in-house counsel and executives at technology companies and Fortune 500 businesses, as well as former government officials responsible for technology policy developments and regulation across various geographies. Many of our lawyers also hold advanced degrees in science, math, technology and engineering, helping us to anticipate our clients' most complex legal and commercial challenges.

With expertise in technology transactions, disputes, intellectual property, antitrust, regulatory, private equity, M&A, corporate governance, and financings to SPACs, exits & IPOs, cybersecurity, data privacy, arbitration, trade, national security, ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance), tax and employment, we cultivate highly specialized and well-integrated teams to comprehensively advise our technology clients on their matters. From fundraisings and issuances, investment in product and market expansion, representation in disputes, investigations, trade and regulatory proceedings, to protection of their most important assets, our lawyers are with our clients every step of the way.

We represent the world's most innovative technology pioneers involved in:

 

Industry-Convergent Focus

Our Technology Industry Group lawyers are embedded in evolving market sectors arising at the intersection of technology, including finance, healthcare and life sciences, media, telecommunications, transportation, energy, infrastructure, and consumer retail, among others. They offer a wealth of insight and know-how in the following sectors:

 

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

"'[White & Case] has a strong understanding of in-house needs and the complexities involved with global technology companies. Problems require multi-faceted and creative solutions that work for all areas of a business (e.g., BD, engineering, product, marketing, etc.), and [they] consistently provide comprehensive goal-oriented advice that goes beyond just stellar legal counsel.'"
Client Testimonial – Legal 500 US 2021

#2 "Most Innovative" law firm in North America
The Financial Times North America Innovative Lawyers 2021

"Technology, Media & Telecom M&A Legal Adviser of the Year"
Mergermarket Japan M&A Awards 2022

Middle East FinTech Law Firm of the Year
Asian Legal Business Awards Middle East (ALB) 2022

#1 for Technology companies: Top US-Headquartered Law Firm Advising UK Listed Companies
Adviser Rankings Ltd. (ARL) 2022

Ranked #1 international firm advising on M&A transactions in Latin America
Refinitiv H1 2022

"Most renowned law firm" for data protection law (Germany)
WirtschaftsWoche - 2022

Band 1 for TMT: Data Protection (Germany)
Chambers EU 2022

Tier 1 for TMT (Czech Republic)
Tier 1 for IT Transactions & Outsourcing (Germany)
Legal 500 EMEA 2022

Band 1 for SPACS
Chambers USA 2022 – Nationwide

Band 2 for Blockchain & Cryptocurrencies (USA)
Chambers Fintech Legal 2022

Consistently ranked in the top 10 for deal value in leading M&A league tables
Thomson Reuters, Mergermarket and Bloomberg

Ranked among the top 10 Competition teams in the "Global Elite"
Global Competition Review (GCR) 2022

A "Global Elite" firm for Data Protection Advice
Global Data Review (GDR) 2021-2022

Ranked in IAM Patent 1000
The World's Leading Patent Professionals 2022

Band 1 International Arbitration – Global-Wide
Band 1 International Arbitration – Europe-Wide
Band 1 International Trade/WTO – Global-Wide
Band 1 International Arbitration – France
Band 1 International Arbitration – Latin America-wide
Band 1 International & Cross-Border Capabilities (International Firms) – Japan
Band 1 Capital Markets – Middle East-wide
Band 1 Project Finance – Latin America-wide
Spotlight Table International & Cross-Border Capabilities --United Arab Emirates
Chambers Global 2022

Band 1 for International Arbitration: Elite
Band 1 for International Trade: CFIUS Experts
Band 1 for SPACs
Band 1 for Litigation: General Commercial: Highly Regarded – New York
Band 1 for Litigation: General Commercial: Highly Regarded – Washington, DC
Chambers USA 2022

Band 1 for Capital Markets (Debt)
Band 1 for Capital Markets (Equity)
Band 1 for Infrastructure (UK-wide)
Band 1 for Projects (UK-wide)
Chambers UK 2023

Experience

Representation of Arqit Limited, a leader in quantum encryption technology, on its US$1 billion agreed business combination (de-SPAC) with Centricus Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company.

Representation of Avast Software s.r.o., the FTSE 100 global leader in digital security and privacy, on its US$9.2 billion merger with NortonLifeLock, in addition to advising Avast from its initial fundraising nearly a decade ago to its recent £2.5 billion IPO, one of the largest-ever IPOs on the LSE, to matters involving add-ons, bolt-ons, disposals and refinancings.

Representation of Believe Digital, a leading digital music company, on its IPO on Euronext Paris, as a member of the "Next 40" index, and the first IPO of a "unicorn" on Euronext Paris.

Representation of bolttech, an Singapore-based global insurtech company and subsidiary of Pacific Century Group Holdings, in its US$180 million Series A equity financing round that led to boltech's valuation of more than US$1 billion within one year after its initial launch.

Representation of CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc., a US cybersecurity technology company providing endpoint security, threat intelligence and cyberattack response services, in an antitrust litigation concerning industry-testing standards for AI-enhanced cybersecurity endpoint detection products, resulting in a successful outcome for the company.

Representation of CMC Capital Partners in various private equity investments in technology, media, and entertainment targets across China, including in Lequee, a leading brand eCommerce service provider; Energy Monster, a developer and manufacturer of smart mobile chargers; Xiaopangxiong, a home construction e-commerce company; and Weiyi Insurance, an insurtech company.

Representation of Daimler AG on a broad range of technology transactions with a particular focus on autonomous vehicles, connected cars, transformative Cloud solutions and new mobility concepts, including the establishment of a joint venture with Robert Bosch GmbH for the production and sale of traction machines for electric vehicles; its investment in Turo Inc., a peer-to-peer carsharing marketplace; and its investment in eSports pioneer SK Gaming, making Mercedes-Benz the first automobile manufacturer to acquire a stake in an eSports team.

Representation of Facebook as lead counsel for the company's international (non-US) civil litigation portfolio, handling cutting-edge issues in 160+ jurisdictions in matters involving complex international contract disputes, privacy and defamation, data protection, trade secrets, unfair competition, content strategy, free speech and censorship, intermediary liability, as well as criminal and regulatory investigations and consumer class actions. Also served as lead technology transactions counsel and global antitrust counsel representing Facebook's subsidiary, WhatsApp, in its US$5.7 billion investment into India's largest telecom operator, Jio Platforms Ltd., and serving as counsel on fintech products and services.

Representation of Figure Technologies in the development of the Provenance Blockchain Foundation, a new public, open-source, permission-less, decentralized, proof-of-stake blockchaindesigned to support financial service industry needs by providing a ledger, registry and exchange across multiple financial assets and markets.

Representation of GlobalWafers Co. Ltd., a global leader in the manufacture of silicon wafers for the semiconductor industry, in its US$683 million acquisition of SunEdison Semiconductor Limited; and as regulatory counsel, in its US$4.5 billion acquisition of Siltronic AG, the German silicon wafer manufacturer.

Representation of Google LLC in numerous high-stakes antitrust matters and patent litigations, such as defending Google in its appeal of the €4.34 billion fine imposed by the European Commission in the Android antitrust case, and in numerous USITC and U.S. district court IP litigations brought by various “smart product” and service providers. We also regularly advise Google on technology licensing and strategy matters.

Representation of Haier Group, the Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer, in the US$5.4 billion acquisition of the GE Appliances unit from GE through an auction process, one of the largest acquisitions of a US company by a Chinese entity to date.

Representation of Klarna AB, one of Europe's largest fintech and payment solutions providers, in its US$650 million equity funding round at a post-money valuation of US$10.65 billion, its acquisition of Moneymour Srl, its acquisition of HERO, an online retailer which brings the concept of in-person customer service to e-commerce, and in its acquisition of the retail and e-commerce financing arm of merchant bank Close Brothers.

Representation of Microsoft Corporation in connection with antitrust, US white collar and intellectual property-related matters.

Representation of Panasonic Corporation for more than three decades, providing M&A, patent, antitrust and regulatory compliance advice, including recent representation of the company in its US$8.5 billion acquisition of Blue Yonder, the leading US end-to-end supply chain software provider.

Representation of PayPal Holdings, Inc. in its acquisition of Paidy Inc., a leading two-sided payments platform and provider of buy now, pay later solutions in Japan, for ¥300 billion or approximately US$2.7 billion.

Representation of SoftBank Vision Fund, a leading global technology investor, in its numerous, ongoing investments into companies such as Sorare, Trendyol, Zopa, Contentsquare, Wiliot, Jobandtalent, OakNorth and Tier Mobility, among many others.

Representation of Square, Inc., a leading online financial services, merchant services aggregator and mobile payments company, in founding the Cryptocurrency Open Patent Alliance (COPA), a nonprofit community formed to encourage the adoption and advancement of cryptocurrency technologies with the aim of removing patents as a barrier to innovation. We also advised Square on its acquisition of a majority ownership stake in TIDAL, the global music and entertainment platform.

Representation of Supercell Oy, the Finnish mobile games developer, on its US$6.8 billion acquisition by a consortium fronted by Chinese Internet giant Tencent Holdings. At the time, the deal marked the largest-ever acquisition of a mobile games company.

Representation of Tink SA, a leading European open banking platform provider, in its €1.7 billion sale to Visa.

Representation of Walmart Inc.'s global e-commerce division in a range of patent, trademark, copyright and other intellectual property matters.

Representation of Wise Road Capital, a China-based private equity firm, as CFIUS counsel in its proposed £830 million acquisition of Magnachip Semiconductor Corp., the NYSE-listed South Korea-based designer and manufacturer of analogue and mixed-signal semiconductor products for high-volume consumer applications.

Representation of Zynga Inc., a global leader in online and mobile gaming, in its serial cross-border M&A matters, including its transformative cross-border US$1.8 billion acquisition of Istanbul-based Peak Oyun Yazılım ve Pazarlama A.S., a leading Turkish computer game software provider, marking the largest acquisition of a Turkish startup company and making Peak Games Türkiye's first technology "unicorn."