Technology, Communications and Digital

The go-to legal and tax advisory firm for businesses at the heart of technological and digital transformation

Garrigues

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From fledgling startups to tech giants, Garrigues is valued for its broad industry know-how and its ability to work shoulder to shoulder with clients to develop innovative and practical solutions that address the challenges of a globalized digital economy and Industry 4.0.

Our multidisciplinary teams combine the utmost expertise in advising on technological environments from all angles of business law with deep knowledge of emerging and disruptive technologies and their legal impact, as well as of market trends and the business priorities dictated by the dynamics of the digital economy. The result is Garrigues Digital, a comprehensive legal, regulatory and tax support service that is second to none.

We also have specialist units geared towards clients operating in the vertical and niche markets leading the digital transformation, grouped around different hubs: FinTech, Platforms, Industry 4.0, FashionTech and MediaTech.

We have participated in projects, initiatives and consortiums from their very beginnings, providing support in relation to the legal complexities associated with cloud computing, the internet of things and M2M communications, blockchain and DLT, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, cognitive and quantum technologies, among others.

We have a broad and varied client base, including tech giants, communications network and services operators, IT suppliers, platforms, media groups and content providers, distribution groups, financial service providers, insurers, mobility entities, data center operators, telecoms infrastructure providers, venture capital firms and investment banks, and more.

Our leading position is recognized year on year by the leading international directories. In Spain, Garrigues was named Best Law Firm in Digital Economy at the 2020 and 2022 editions of the Expansión Legal Awards.

Our services

Legal support to global operators in the digital sector on the rollout of their projects and on bringing their products and solutions into line with the legal and regulatory requirements of the markets we operate in:

  • Review of products and solutions, their adaptation to local regulatory requirements, and strategies to mitigate the legal risks associated with the rollout of emerging technologies and business models.
  • Support in dealings with regulators and supervisory authorities in relation to services and activities in regulated sectors and to innovative services whose potential submission to sector regulations has yet to be tested.
  • Support for the preparation and localization of contracts and standard business terms for customers, suppliers and partners.

Assistance with the creation and development of startups, and with the expansion and implementation of disruptive business models:

  • Processes for creating tech-based businesses and defining strategies for their international launch.
  • Funding rounds, incorporation of new shareholders, and liquidity events.
  • Legal design of products and solutions, compliance with regulatory and legislative requirements, and mitigation of the legal risks associated with the rollout of emerging technologies and business models.

Advice on transactions, investment agreements, joint ventures and strategic alliances involving not only technology and communications companies but also businesses from other sectors, on the ongoing process of development and market positioning required by the dynamics of the digital economy and the convergence of technology and communications:

  • Acquisitions of tech companies, including startups, as part of inorganic growth strategies and build-up processes.
  • Agreements for the creation of joint vehicles for the launch of innovative services and initiatives.
  • Agreements for the transfer and provision of data processing centers and other significant data storage and processing facilities.
  • Transactions involving communications infrastructure (see Communications).
  • Regulatory support in processes for prior checks on foreign investment in technology companies.

We are the benchmark legal partner for groups and institutions from various sectors and industries when it comes to strategic decision-making on projects and plans for the adoption of technologies and digital transformation processes, as well as on open innovation processes, outsourcing of corporate functions, procurement processes and strategic alliances. Our advice includes:

  • Comprehensive regulatory support in digital transformation processes.
  • Legal and regulatory support in the digitalization of omnichannel functions and strategies, such as the implementation of online onboarding solutions, e-contracts, online marketplaces and integrated payment processes, including interactions and transactions in Web3 environments.
  • Strategic alliances with technology providers, with or without the creation of joint ventures to channel services.
  • Support in relation to contracts for outsourcing and corporate procurement of services, solutions, platforms and equipment for information and communication systems and business processes, under different types of contracts and service models, with particular expertise in projects for the rollout of cloud environments.
  • Advice on the adoption and rollout of blockchain and other distributed ledger technologies as underlying infrastructure for the operation of services and functions in regulated and nonregulated sectors.

Legal support in relation to:

  • Commercial transactions with operators and investors.
  • Foreign investment controls in the area of telecommunications.
  • Regulatory advice in relation to electronic communication networks and services (notifications, numbering, radioelectric spectrum, including tender and auction procedures, public obligations, data protection, cybersecurity in telecommunications, secrecy of communications, etc.).
  • Charges relating to electronic communication services and infrastructure.
  • Contracts (interconnection and access, MVNOs, roaming, capacity and circuits, sharing, collocation and outsourcing of networks and services, rental of equipment, must-carry obligations and transmission of audiovisual services, among others).
  • Transactions involving telecommunications infrastructure (sale and licensing of networks, dark fiber, IRU, projects for sale and lease-back of telecommunications towers, and financial business models for the operation of spaces and locations for placement of 5G wireless infrastructure) and projects relating to data and communications hubs.
  • Undersea cables.
  • Standard and special business terms for all kinds of electronic and corporate communications services via IP networks.
  • Rights of consumers and end users of electronic communications services.
  • Financial transactions related to the rollout of networks.
  • Proceedings before regulators and antitrust authorities in Spain, Brussels and Latin America, in relation to communications matters, including State aid.
  • Court and arbitration proceedings in relation to electronic communications.

Garrigues Digital

Global heads

Other Garrigues services

Publications

  • SEP Regulation: the draft regulation concerning the licensing of standard essential patents takes a significant step towards becoming law

    The European Parliament has approved the Regulation on Standard Essential Patents, whose main objective is to facilitate the  licensing of these patents on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms. The text must be still approved by the Member…