All committee meetings are open to all attendees! If you are interested in one of these areas, please attend! Current committee leaders will set an agenda for the meeting and will sometimes feature a speaker. Each committee will meet for one hour. Following the meeting, we encourage you to join as an ITechLaw member to stay connected with these individuals throughout the year.

All committee meetings are open to all attendees! If you are interested in one of these areas, please attend! Current committee leaders will set an agenda for the meeting and will sometimes feature a speaker. Each committee will meet for one hour. Following the meeting, we encourage you to join as an ITechLaw member to stay connected with these individuals throughout the year.

All committee meetings are open to all attendees! If you are interested in one of these areas, please attend! Current committee leaders will set an agenda for the meeting and will sometimes feature a speaker. Each committee will meet for one hour. Following the meeting, we encourage you to join as an ITechLaw member to stay connected with these individuals throughout the year.

All committee meetings are open to all attendees! If you are interested in one of these areas, please attend! Current committee leaders will set an agenda for the meeting and will sometimes feature a speaker. Each committee will meet for one hour. Following the meeting, we encourage you to join as an ITechLaw member to stay connected with these individuals throughout the year.

All committee meetings are open to all attendees! If you are interested in one of these areas, please attend! Current committee leaders will set an agenda for the meeting and will sometimes feature a speaker. Each committee will meet for one hour. Following the meeting, we encourage you to join as an ITechLaw member to stay connected with these individuals throughout the year.

All committee meetings are open to all attendees! If you are interested in one of these areas, please attend! Current committee leaders will set an agenda for the meeting and will sometimes feature a speaker. Each committee will meet for one hour. Following the meeting, we encourage you to join as an ITechLaw member to stay connected with these individuals throughout the year.

All committee meetings are open to all attendees! If you are interested in one of these areas, please attend! Current committee leaders will set an agenda for the meeting and will sometimes feature a speaker. Each committee will meet for one hour. Following the meeting, we encourage you to join as an ITechLaw member to stay connected with these individuals throughout the year.

All committee meetings are open to all attendees! If you are interested in one of these areas, please attend! Current committee leaders will set an agenda for the meeting and will sometimes feature a speaker. Each committee will meet for one hour. Following the meeting, we encourage you to join as an ITechLaw member to stay connected with these individuals throughout the year.

All committee meetings are open to all attendees! If you are interested in one of these areas, please attend! Current committee leaders will set an agenda for the meeting and will sometimes feature a speaker. Each committee will meet for one hour. Following the meeting, we encourage you to join as an ITechLaw member to stay connected with these individuals throughout the year.

Sponsored by: 

Sponsored by: 

How does the use of large language models and generative artificial intelligence change the nature of the relationship between humans and machines, and what does the answer to that question say about what it means to be human? Our reaction to this technology (how we as humans use it and the status that we accord to it) will both be informed by and shape our answers to these questions. It will also shape our future. As humans, what questions should we be exploring to better shape that future? As professionals, how might we act on those thoughts?

Keynote: 

Éric Salobir, Human Technology Foundation, France

Éric Salobir is the President of the Executive Committee of the Human Technology Foundation and the founder of OPTIC, an international research and action network that places people at the heart of technology development. OPTIC brings together several thousand researchers, entrepreneurs and technology developers. This network carries out research projects in practical ethics leading to the publication of articles and reports (www.optictechnology.org). It also assists public policy makers and entrepreneurs in assessing the impact of technologies through coaching and training. In Paris, the network runs Lab.222, a think tank dedicated to ethical innovation. A graduate of the ISC Paris business school, Eric Salobir has worked at the French Embassy in Prague (economics and trade section), and at Crédit Lyonnais (now LCL) in the investment banking department in Paris. Eric Salobir joined the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) in 2000. He is a priest with degrees in theology and philosophy. He has been editor-in-chief of the radio station ROC FM and a member of the board of directors of the French Federation of Christian Radios. He was also responsible for the web TV of Catholic programs for the French television channel France 2. As an expert to the Holy See, Eric Salobir advises leaders of major companies and public policy actors on ethical issues related to disruptive technologies. He is the author of the book "Dieu et la Silicon Valley" (God and Silicon Valley).

The highly interactive roundtable session will kick off the conference! The topics below will each have an assigned table and discussion leads to conduct a brief speed networking and overview of the topic. Attendees will have two chances to participate in 35-minute engaging discussions on these topics. This is a session you won't want to miss!

Roundtable Topics:

In this session, we will take a comparative look at how different jurisdictions are proposing to regulate online content and behavior to protect users.  We will consider the legal duties of online platforms and the potential liabilities and responsibilities that may arise.  We look specifically at the laws in the US, Canada, the EU and the UK.

Speakers:

Peter Brown, Brown Tech Legal, United States - Moderator

Peter Brown has focused on Information Technology matters for over 30 years. He is currently the principal of Peter Brown & Associates, a NY law firm concentrating in IT and IP transactions, litigation, and arbitrations. Mr. Brown has served as an arbitrator on about one hundred matters relating to technology and intellectual property. “The Best Lawyers in America” ® publication honored his firm as a National Tier One practice for Information Technology Law in 2022. Mr. Brown co-authored the leading treatises Emerging Technologies and the Law and Computer Law. He served on the Board of ITechLaw for over a decade.

Emily Laidlaw, University of Calgary, Canada

Dr. Emily Laidlaw is a Canada Research Chair in Cybersecurity Law and Associate Professor at the University of Calgary, Faculty of Law. She researches in the areas of technology regulation, cybersecurity, and human rights, with a focus on platform regulation, online harms, privacy, freedom of expression, and corporate social responsibility. She is the author of the book Regulating Speech in Cyberspace: Gatekeepers, Human Rights and Corporate Responsibility (Cambridge University Press, 2015). She co-chaired the Expert Advisory Group on Online Safety for the Heritage Ministry in the summer of 2022.

Arun Krishnamurti, Google Canada Corporation, Canada

Arun is an experienced technology lawyer with a track record of practical, business-oriented legal advice.  After having worked at a leading Canadian law firm, and now in-house at Google Canada, Arun's well versed in analyzing and responding to complex (and frequently cross-border) legal issues, including product launches, cloud services agreements, consumer protection and many other commercial and regulatory topics.  Arun currently serves as a Vice-President of the Canadian Technology Law Association and a director of the South Asian Bar Association of Toronto and remains actively involved in his communities, taking on roles in mentoring, as well as supporting diversity and equity-seeking groups more broadly.  In recognition of his accomplishments, Arun has been named to Lexpert Rising Stars: Leading Lawyers Under 40 and recognized by the South Asian Bar Association of North America as a Rising Star.

Philipp Schröder-Ringe, HÄRTING Rechtsanwälte PartGmbB, Germany

Philipp Schröder-Ringe, LL.M. is partner at HÄRTING Rechtsanwälte since 2012. For almost 15 years, he is working in the area of Tech Law where he provides advice to national and international clients about IP, Competition, and Data Protection Law. He holds a Master's in Law and Information Technology. If necessary, he is litigating in the area of IT and Competition Law. He is the author of several essays and a frequent speaker. In his spare time, he is involved in representing the interests of the German music industry.

Michael Bywell, Stephenson Harwood LLP, United Kingdom

Michael is a senior commercial litigator with expertise in the technology and data breach areas. Over the past 25+ years he has represented clients in the UK and internationally on a range of commercial matters including IT and digital transformation disputes, software licensing matters and large-scale data breach and data privacy civil litigation.

Acquisitions in the tech industry can pose a host of challenges that must be navigated carefully to complete successfully. Privacy issues, IP ownership, cybersecurity measures, and AI concerns are just four of the factors that can raise roadblocks or even scuttle a deal. In this session, experts will discuss some of these factors and how to identify and handle problems, including negotiating appropriate rep and warranty provisions to protect your clients.

Speakers:

Heather Antoine, Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP,  United States - Moderator

Heather A. Antoine is a Partner and Chair of the Firm’s Trademark & Brand Protection and Privacy & Data Security practice groups.  Heather is focused on guiding businesses through the ever-expanding maze of privacy laws, both domestically and internationally. Heather works with companies to design and strengthen their privacy and data security policies and practices, to help prevent data breaches, and to minimize the risks associated therein. Heather’s practice also focuses on protecting a company’s intellectual property. Heather’s practice includes trademark clearance and selection, domestic and foreign trademark prosecution, enforcement, proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), licensing, trade secret protection, copyright, rights of publicity, domain names disputes, and general client counseling. Heather supports companies at each stage – from due diligence when choosing a name, to ongoing brand management, to ensuring portfolios are safeguarded and ready for growth and sale.

Alethea Au, Stikeman Elliott LLP,  Canada

Alethea Au is an M&A lawyer in Stikeman Elliott’s Toronto office. She has worked with private equity funds and strategic corporate buyers, and founder clients across various industries in complex matters related to M&A, including structuring, risk mitigation, divestitures, investments, use of representation and warranty insurance and related transactional issues. Alethea is recognized by Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory in M&A and private equity, and by Expert Guides in technology. She is a member of the American Bar Association, International Technology Law Association, Federation of Chinese Canadian Professionals, and Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance - Women in Technology.

Steven De Schrijver, Agio Legal, Belgium

Steven De Schrijver is a partner specialising in Corporate, M&A, and Technology law at Agio Legal.  He has almost 30 years of experience advising large Belgian and foreign technology companies, as well as innovative entrepreneurs and their customers, on complex commercial agreements and projects dealing with new technologies.  His expertise includes tech M&A and also technology transfers, e-commerce, software licensing, cloud computing (SaaS, PaaS, IaaS), hosted services platform development and services, privacy law (including GDPR implementation), cybersecurity, IT and BPO outsourcing, digital transformation, Industry 4.0, IoT, augmented and virtual reality, artificial intelligence, drones and robotics.

Countries are taking diverging approaches to data protection and how international data transfers are governed. As a result, organizations must often seek to comply with several legal frameworks and must keep pace with constantly changing legislation. In this session, we look at data privacy laws relating to international data transfers, through the lens of entities in Latin America, Africa, and Asia-Pacific. 

Speakers:

Holly Roper, DXC Technology, Germany - Moderator

Holly is a Legal Director at DXC Technology, specializing in technology law. She supports major IT transactions (including complex IT infrastructure and outsourcing deals) in public and private sectors across the DACH and UKI regions. She also leads digital legal transformation initiatives across the legal function, particularly in relation to AI. Holly is an Australian-qualified lawyer based in Berlin with extensive international experience working in global teams both in-house and in private practice.

Ridwaan Boda, ENSafrica, South Africa

Ridwaan Boda is an Executive in ENSafrica’s Corporate Commercial practice, where he heads up the TMT team. He is also a member of the United Nations Global Pulse Panel of International Data Privacy Experts. Ridwaan has considerable experience and expertise in the TMT arena, having worked and advised on some of South Africa’s largest and most prominent information and communications technology (“ICT”) transactions. Ridwaan has advised and acted on behalf of various listed companies, state-owned entities, quasi-government corporations, and public sector bodies in a wide variety of sectors, including financial services, petrochemicals, retail, health care, pharmaceutical, technology and resources. He also has significant global experience, having worked in the United Kingdom and on a number of multijurisdictional matters.

Fabio Pereira, Veirano Advogados, Brazil

Fabio Pereira is a partner at the IP, IT and Privacy practices at Veirano Advogados, in Sao Paulo. He holds an LL.B in Law, a Post-graduate Degree in Civil Law, and an LL.M in Intellectual Property from Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London. He is the co-coordinator for the Digital Rights and Privacy Commission and a member of the Board of Directors of the Brazilian Intellectual Property Association (ABPI). He is also the Chair of the Privacy Committee at ItechLaw. He has worked as in-house counsel for TV Globo and for the Roberto Marinho Foundation, in Brazil, and as Legal Affairs & IP Manager for the University College London Hospitals, in England.

Laarni Vinas, Shusaku·Yamamoto, Japan

Laarni is a triple-qualified lawyer in the Philippines, New York, and England and Wales. She is currently serving as the Legal Director of SHUSAKU·YAMAMOTO, a leading and highly-esteemed IP and technology multinational-firm based in Osaka, Japan. In addition to this, Lani is also a Senior Lecturer in the University of the Philippines, College of Law. Furthermore, Laarni is serving as a Digital Privacy expert in ABA ROLI’s Advisory Group of Expert, as well as the Intellectual Property Committee co-head of the Philippine Bar Association. Laarni also acts as a co-Vice-President of Women in Law Japan (https://womeninlawjapan.org/), with the aim to advance and foster women's rights and women in the legal profession.

The GDPR and many equivalent regulations encoded a private right of action for individuals to claim compensation for the loss sustained following an infringement of the legislation.  Certain jurisdictions provide mature Court procedures for mass actions, allowing classes or cohorts of claimants to bring claims in a simplified procedure.  This gives rise to a real threat of significant liability for organizations following a data privacy or security incident.  The Dispute Resolution Committee has launched a survey to look at the “hot jurisdictions” for these claims, which we explore in this session.

Speakers:

Stuart Davey, Pinsent Masons, United Kingdom

Stuart advises on cross-border data breaches and cyber incidents. He helps organizations ensure compliance with their security and reporting obligations under relevant data protection legislation and regulation. He advises clients with the increasing challenges of data and cyber-related litigation. Stuart also specializes in resolving disputes arising out of large-scale and technically complex IT projects. He advises both suppliers and users of technology, with a focus on dispute resolution and renegotiation of contracts for business process outsourcing and software/systems implementation projects. 

Polo van der Putt, Vondst Advocaten, Netherlands

Polo van der Putt heads the IT and sourcing practice of Vondst. Amongst others Polo deals all sorts of IT contracts. He litigates on a regular basis. Besides he specialises in data protection law. Polo is board member of the Dutch Arbitration Institute for IT Disputes and chief editor of the legal magazine Internet Law.

Kenneth Dort, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, United States

Kenneth Dort is a preeminent resource on mission-critical data security issues and is consulted often for immediate counsel on high-stakes data breaches, as well as for guidance and strategy on the privacy and other legal implications of new technologies. Ken is a recognized adviser to clients around the world on data security and privacy practices and compliance needs arising under federal, state, provincial and international laws and industry standards. He also is a powerful litigator in the courtroom, a deft negotiator with regulators and a valued counselor on software development and integration. Over his 30-year career, Ken has focused on the ways that law and regulation frame the development of new technology. He is engaged by some of the world’s largest companies to stem and mitigate major data breaches, including those involving credit card information and employee, customer and patient data. He is called on frequently to create or improve data security and privacy protocols for highly sensitive information, devices and mobile applications.

During the pandemic, there was an unforeseen and high level of movement of technology lawyers.  In this session, we will look at the important topic of how best to retain technology legal talent.  Topics considered include the need for a desirable working environment, compensation and benefits, mental health, diversity and inclusion, and corporate social responsibility. 

Speakers:

Stacy Zosky, STITT + ZOSKY, Legal Search and Consulting, Canada

Stacy Zosky co-founded Stitt + Zosky (Legal Search and Consulting) after leading lateral recruitment and associate talent management at Goodmans LLP for over 18 years where she successfully hired, integrated, coached, and managed legal talent. Stacy has spent her career building strong practice teams and supporting lawyers in their professional growth. She is an executive coach trained at the Adler School of Professional Coaching and Business Coaching Advantage. As a legal recruiter and coach, Stacy is passionate about finding law firms and companies' top talent, and helping lawyers, at all levels, identify and achieve their career goals.

Daniel Hart, Seyfarth Shaw LLP, United States

An Atlanta, Georgia-based partner at Seyfarth Shaw LLP, Daniel Hart advises clients on attracting and retaining top talent, prevents poaching by competitors, and represents clients in contentious employment litigation. Dan's practice spans employment and commercial litigation disputes involving employee trade secrets, restrictive covenants, and employee mobility and single-plaintiff or multi-plaintiff lawsuits alleging workplace discrimination, harassment or other employment-related claims. Outside the courtroom, Dan provides day-to-day counseling and advice to employers about the laws affecting the employment relationship, and he combines his experiences as a litigator and counselor to provide clients with practical solutions to employment challenges.

Toby Crick, Bristows LLP, United Kingdom

Toby Crick leads London law firm Bristows’ top ranked IT and Outsourcing team. He has over 25 years’ experience working on complex deals and advising on the regulatory issues arising in connection with the use of emerging technologies for clients in the energy, health, FMCG, financial services and telecommunications sectors. Toby teaches outsourcing law and practice at Queen Mary College, University of London and open source software at University College London. 

This workshop considers both how the Metaverse makes it difficult to preserve basic rights and how it can be a boon for training individuals to be more respectful of basic rights. The workshop will include a live demonstration of a metaverse-based training tool.

Speakers:

Michael Avis, Tapvigo Solutions, Canada

Michael Avis is the founder and president of Tapvigo Solutions Inc., an innovative communications and education company based in Toronto, Canada.  With over  20 years of experience as an educator, consultant, technologist, researcher, and curriculum designer, Michael has worked at all levels of the education system both domestically and internationally.  He is passionate about purpose-driven immersive technology and the need for accessible and equitable digital and communications literacy.

Elias Ahonen, University of Turku, Finland, UAE

Elias Ahonen is a Finnish-Canadian blockchain and legal expert based in Dubai and described in 2016  as “one of the first Bitcoin historians” in 2016 for his ethnographic book Physical Bitcoins, which was followed by Blockland (2020). His doctoral research at the University of Turku Law School concerns the intersection of blockchain and international law. A columnist for Cointelegraph, his expertise is acknowledged by international media including The Wall Street Journal. Involved in the industry since 2013, he launched consulting firm Token Valley in 2017 and is a Director for Roqqu, a cryptocurrency exchange with 1.4 million users.

The GDPR and many equivalent regulations encoded a private right of action for individuals to claim compensation for the loss sustained following an infringement of the legislation.  Certain jurisdictions provide mature Court procedures for mass actions, allowing classes or cohorts of claimants to bring claims in a simplified procedure.  This gives rise to a real threat of significant liability for organizations following a data privacy or security incident.  The Dispute Resolution Committee has launched a survey to look at the “hot jurisdictions” for these claims, which we explore in this session.

Speakers:

Stuart Davey, Pinsent Masons, United Kingdom

Stuart advises on cross-border data breaches and cyber incidents. He helps organizations ensure compliance with their security and reporting obligations under relevant data protection legislation and regulation.  He advises clients with the increasing challenges of data and cyber-related litigation. Stuart also specializes in resolving disputes arising out of large-scale and technically complex IT projects. He advises both suppliers and users of technology, with a focus on dispute resolution and renegotiation of contracts for business process outsourcing and software/systems implementation projects. 

Polo van der Putt, Vondst Advocaten, Netherlands

Polo van der Putt heads the IT and sourcing practice of Vondst. Amongst others Polo deals all sorts of IT contracts. He litigates on a regular basis. Besides he specialises in data protection law. Polo is board member of the Dutch Arbitration Institute for IT Disputes and chief editor of the legal magazine Internet Law.

Kenneth Dort, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, United States

Kenneth Dort is a preeminent resource on mission-critical data security issues and is consulted often for immediate counsel on high-stakes data breaches, as well as for guidance and strategy on the privacy and other legal implications of new technologies. Ken is a recognized adviser to clients around the world on data security and privacy practices and compliance needs arising under federal, state, provincial and international laws and industry standards. He also is a powerful litigator in the courtroom, a deft negotiator with regulators and a valued counselor on software development and integration. Over his 30-year career, Ken has focused on the ways that law and regulation frame the development of new technology. He is engaged by some of the world’s largest companies to stem and mitigate major data breaches, including those involving credit card information and employee, customer and patient data. He is called on frequently to create or improve data security and privacy protocols for highly sensitive information, devices and mobile applications.

During the pandemic, there was an unforeseen and high level of movement of technology lawyers.  In this session, we will look at the important topic of how best to retain technology legal talent.  Topics considered include the need for a desirable working environment, compensation and benefits, mental health, diversity and inclusion, and corporate social responsibility. 

Speakers:

Stacy Zosky, STITT + ZOSKY, Legal Search and Consulting, Canada

Stacy Zosky co-founded Stitt + Zosky (Legal Search and Consulting) after leading lateral recruitment and associate talent management at Goodmans LLP for over 18 years where she successfully hired, integrated, coached, and managed legal talent. Stacy has spent her career building strong practice teams and supporting lawyers in their professional growth. She is an executive coach trained at the Adler School of Professional Coaching and Business Coaching Advantage. As a legal recruiter and coach, Stacy is passionate about finding law firms and companies' top talent, and helping lawyers, at all levels, identify and achieve their career goals.

Daniel Hart, Seyfarth Shaw LLP, United States

An Atlanta, Georgia-based partner at Seyfarth Shaw LLP, Daniel Hart advises clients on attracting and retaining top talent, prevents poaching by competitors, and represents clients in contentious employment litigation. Dan's practice spans employment and commercial litigation disputes involving employee trade secrets, restrictive covenants, and employee mobility and single-plaintiff or multi-plaintiff lawsuits alleging workplace discrimination, harassment or other employment-related claims. Outside the courtroom, Dan provides day-to-day counseling and advice to employers about the laws affecting the employment relationship, and he combines his experiences as a litigator and counselor to provide clients with practical solutions to employment challenges.

Toby Crick, Bristows LLP, United Kingdom

Toby Crick leads London law firm Bristows’ top ranked IT and Outsourcing team. He has over 25 years’ experience working on complex deals and advising on the regulatory issues arising in connection with the use of emerging technologies for clients in the energy, health, FMCG, financial services and telecommunications sectors. Toby teaches outsourcing law and practice at Queen Mary College, University of London and open source software at University College London. 

This workshop considers both how the Metaverse makes it difficult to preserve basic rights and how it can be a boon for training individuals to be more respectful of basic rights. The workshop will include a live demonstration of a metaverse-based training tool.

Speakers:

Michael Avis, Tapvigo Solutions, Canada

Michael Avis is the founder and president of Tapvigo Solutions Inc., an innovative communications and education company based in Toronto, Canada.  With over  20 years of experience as an educator, consultant, technologist, researcher, and curriculum designer, Michael has worked at all levels of the education system both domestically and internationally.  He is passionate about purpose-driven immersive technology and the need for accessible and equitable digital and communications literacy.

Elias Ahonen, University of Turku, Finland, UAE

Elias Ahonen is a Finnish-Canadian blockchain and legal expert based in Dubai and described in 2016  as “one of the first Bitcoin historians” in 2016 for his ethnographic book Physical Bitcoins, which was followed by Blockland (2020). His doctoral research at the University of Turku Law School concerns the intersection of blockchain and international law. A columnist for Cointelegraph, his expertise is acknowledged by international media including The Wall Street Journal. Involved in the industry since 2013, he launched consulting firm Token Valley in 2017 and is a Director for Roqqu, a cryptocurrency exchange with 1.4 million users.

Want to get involved with planning a future ITechLaw Conference? Join the Thought Leadership session where we will discuss the upcoming Amsterdam, India, and Washington, DC Conferences.

Open to all attendees!

When developing artificial intelligence, bias is difficult to avoid. Even well-intentioned, thoughtful developers build AIs that fail in this regard. This means those who use systems involving artificial intelligence and those whose clients are using systems involving artificial intelligence need to know how to: (i) position themselves to obtain support and help from developers when bias appears; (ii) understand the pros and cons of the types of remedial action that can be taken; and (iii) create an environment where concerns relating to a biased AI system will be raised without fear of recriminations.

Speakers:

Andrew Alleyne, Fasken, Canada - Moderator

Andrew is a partner with Fasken Martineau with a broad corporate commercial practice focusing on outsourcing and technology-related transactions.  Andrew also practices private M&A, provides strategic counsel on drafting and negotiating a wide range of technology-related agreements, and advises on online gambling matters.  Andrew is Vice President of Can Tech; past chair of the Toronto Computer Lawyers Group; recognized for his information technology expertise by The Best Lawyers in Canada and the Canadian and Legal Lexpert Directory, and Who's Who Legal (Canada).  Andrew is also actively involved in various non-profit boards and in the community.

Lee Gluyas, CMS, United Kingdom

Lee Gluyas is a commercial disputes lawyer and Partner at CMS, based in London. He specialises in the resolution of disputes, especially disputes arising out of IT projects, outsourcing agreements, telecommunications contracts, software licenses and general commercial disputes relating to the provision of IT and telecommunications products and services.  He also advises clients on issues relating to the use of AI technologies, data protection, data security and claims relating to data breaches and misuse of data.

Aarthi Anand, Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP, United States

Aarthi Anand is counsel in the New York office of Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP where she focuses her practice on intellectual property matters. Aarthi Anand is amongst the few attorneys qualified in the U.S. (New York, California, District of Columbia), the U.K. (Solicitor) and India. As a Rhodes Scholar, she studied law at the University of Oxford, NYU School of Law and India. Sophisticated financial institutions rely on Aarthi to anticipate their future IP and data use. Aarthi counsels clients in connection with complex transactions involving cryptocurrencies, NFTs, payments, blockchain, artificial intelligence and fintech. 

Dan Adamson, Armilla.AI, Canada

Dan Adamson is the Co-Founder and CEO of Armilla.AI, a company helping create responsible AI. He also co-founded Confia, a neo-banking platform using AI for high-risk industries and founded and served as OutsideIQ’s CEO deploying AML and anti-fraud solutions to over 100 global financial institutions. He also previously served as Chief Architect at Medstory, a vertical search start-up acquired by Microsoft. Adamson holds several search algorithm and AI patents, has been named among the “must-see” thought leaders in AI and FinTech, in addition to numerous academic awards and holding a Master of Science degree from U.C. Berkeley.

The Ukraine war has highlighted the serious and long-lasting impacts that international conflict can have on the operations and success of companies around the world (especially in the aftermath of Covid). This session brings together experts in cybersecurity, operational resilience, export limits and trade sanctions, and cyber insurance to discuss the variety of risks that businesses face from disputes between states and measures that your clients can take to mitigate those risks.

Speakers:

Rory Radding, Mauriel Kapouyian Woods LLP,  United States - Moderator

Rory J. Radding is an IP strategist with 45 years of experience. He is also an accomplished trial lawyer.  He has litigated diverse patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret cases, acting for both plaintiffs and defendants, involving a wide variety of technologies. Rory also advises large, mid-size, small, and start-up clients as well as non-profit associations and organizations on global intellectual property strategies, including prosecution, licensing, and enforcement strategies, cross-border transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions, the establishment of joint ventures, international and domestic technology transfer, as well as collaborative research agreements and equity financing.

Jean-François Allard, Deloitte, Canada

Jean-François is a partner in Deloitte’s Risk Advisory practice in Montreal. He has 20 years of experience in cybersecurity and resilience. Jean-Francois is also the National Leader for Crisis & Resilience. Jean-Francois is recognized for successfully leading complex cybersecurity and risk transformations, specifically for large financial institutions. As part of these transformations, he has designed and deployed cybersecurity and IT risk management frameworks that include risk practices such as risk policies, outsourcing, and vendor risk management, scenario analysis, risk and control self-assessment, business continuity and disaster recovery programs, cybersecurity programs and IT risk control frameworks.

Christine Sohar Henter, Barnes & Thornburg LLP,  United States

As a first-generation American, Christine Sohar Henter exemplifies a passionate commitment to the practice of international trade law. She represents trade associations, governments, and corporate clients on international trade matters including import trade remedies, customs compliance, export controls and international business transactions, based on her public and private sector experience.

Bartosz Sujecki, Van Diepen Van der Kroef Advocaten, Netherlands

Dr. Bartosz Sujecki (1975) is head of IP/IT at the law firm Van Diepen Van der Kroef Advocaten, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He is admitted to the Dutch and the German Bar. He studied Dutch and German law at the Leibniz Universität Hannover, the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen and der Universiteit van Amsterdam. In 2008, he obtained a PhD at the University of Utrecht. He is specialized in cross-border litigation in technological and commercial matters. In addition, he advises clients on various issues related to legal aspects of technology, such as data transfer, application of AI etc. Dr. Bartosz Sujecki is a frequent speaker and author in various books and journals. He is part-time assistant professor of the University of Graz, Austria, where he teaches cross-border litigation.

Experience a powerful evening where art meets architecture. Join ITechLaw for the Gala Reception and Dinner at The Art Gallery of Ontario to admire works of art in one of the largest art museums in North America. The AGO features more than 120,000 pieces ranging from contemporary to Indigenous, Canadian, and European masterpieces. Guests will have access to select galleries during the reception and will walk through the inspiring Canadian Indigenous Art galleries on the way to the seated gala dinner. This is an evening that cannot be missed! The evening activities will be as follows:

• 6:45 pm – Early access opens to the art galleries.
• 7:00 pm – Reception begins in Italia Hall
  (No food or drink allowed in the reception space, but guests are allowed to view the galleries outside of the reception space throughout the hour.)
• 8:00 pm – Guests will enjoy a walk through the Canadian Indigenous Art wing on their way to the dinner in Baillie Court for a 3-course dinner.
  (Any dietary concerns must be received to staff by no later than 3 business days in advance.)
• 11:00 pm – Event concludes

Cocktail/Black-tie recommended. Ticketed event. Transportation not provided.

Sponsored by: 

This session is a wide-ranging panel discussion on the latest developments and emerging issues relating to unauthorized use of intellectual property in new and future technology.  What are the challenges, what can we learn from the past, and where will solutions be found?  The discussion will address: (i) trending types of copyright infringement claims; (ii) how no code, lo code and chatbot-generated code present new IP challenges for developers and licensees; (iii) IP gaps; (iv) developments in the open knowledge movement; (v) fair use; and (vi) innovative court-ordered remedies.

Speakers:

Jeremy Morton, Temple Bright LLP, United Kingdom - Moderator

Jeremy handles all types of UK IP litigation and strategic advice, as well as licensing, brand management, and data privacy law. His longstanding experience includes resolving disputes relating to trade marks, copyright, designs and patents, managing trade mark applications and oppositions, strategic advice relating to brand launches and marketing campaigns, and data protection problem-solving. He has experience with clients in the tech, engineering, consumer, fashion and entertainment sectors, among many others. Jeremy has served as a board member of ITechLaw and is vice-chair of the IP Committee.

Mike Reid, DLA Piper, Canada

Mike Reid is a corporate law generalist with a technology focus, often working with entrepreneurs, ‎founders and other ‎executives in startup and growth-stage companies. As Co-Chair of the firm's Emerging Growth and Venture Capital group in Canada, he represents clients in various industries from AI to healthtech, VR/AR to cannabis, consumer goods to F&B, in all manner of corporate and corporate finance work.

James Gatto, Sheppard Mullin, United States

Jim Gatto is a partner in the IP Group at Sheppard Mullin. He is Co-leader of the Blockchain & Fintech Team and Open Source Team. For over 35 years he has focused on legal issues with emerging technologies including blockchain, AI, open source and interactive entertainment. 

Jessica Franken, Marquette University, United States

Jessica is a transactional attorney who has worked in private law firms and major corporations serving clients in the technology, education, manufacturing and healthcare industries.  Her legal practice has focused on technology-related agreements, data privacy, complex commercial transactions and employment and benefit issues.  As Associate General Counsel for Marquette University, Jessica provides legal support to Research and Sponsored Programs, Finance, the Raynor Library, University Advancement and the Office of Economic Engagement.  She regularly deals with intellectual property and licensing matters and supports complex university transactions. She is active in the Milwaukee arts community.

A wide-ranging discussion about the post-pandemic use by judges and arbitrators of virtual hearing and other technologies. What is working well and what can we do better? This panel will also cover guidance for where the judge or arbitrator is consuming written content in electronic form and the use of ChatGPT and other Generative AI to prepare submissions and render rulings. A sitting Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada and experienced arbitrators and counsel share their insights about these issues.

Speakers: 

Peter Ruby, Goodmans LLP, Canada - Moderator

President of ITechLaw and partner in the Dispute Resolution Group of Goodmans LLP. He has a national and international practice focused on the litigation and arbitration of a wide variety of business disputes, often related to a wide variety of technologies. With respect to privacy and data protection, he has litigated business-related privacy cases and has considerable experience assisting clients with data breach incidents and cybersecurity issues. In addition to his busy counsel practice, he acts as a sole and panel member arbitrator and mediator. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and  is recognized as a leader in Chambers Global, Lexpert, Legal 500 Canada, Who’s Who Legal, Best Lawyers in Canada, and Benchmark Canada.

The Honourable Mahmud Jamal, Supreme Court of Canada, Canada

Justice Mahmud Jamal was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada on July 1, 2021. He served as a justice of the Court of Appeal for Ontario from 2019 to 2021. Before his appointment to the bench, Justice Jamal practised with Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP for over 23 years in the fields of appellate litigation, constitutional and public law, class actions, and commercial litigation. He appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada as counsel to a party or intervener in 35 appeals addressing a wide range of civil, constitutional, criminal, and regulatory issues, including issues of Quebec civil law. He also appeared before the courts of seven provinces, the Federal Court, the Federal Court of Appeal, the Tax Court of Canada, and various federal and provincial administrative tribunals. As a lawyer, Justice Jamal was a director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, The Advocates’ Society, and the Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History. He was an advocacy advisor to the Supreme Court Advocacy Institute and a trustee of the Canadian Business Law Journal. He has taught constitutional law at the Faculty of Law of McGill University and administrative law at Osgoode Hall Law School, and he has published widely in his areas of practice. He was also chair of his firm’s national pro bono program and a member of its partnership board. Justice Jamal is an adjunct professor at the Faculty of Law of McGill University, a senior fellow of Massey College at the University of Toronto, and the chair of the Ontario Rhodes Scholarship Selection Committee. Justice Jamal was born in Kenya, raised in England, and completed high school in Edmonton, Alberta. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto, Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Civil Law degrees from the Faculty of Law of McGill University, and a Master of Laws from Yale Law School, which he attended on a Fulbright Scholarship. He served as a law clerk to Justice Melvin L. Rothman of the Quebec Court of Appeal and Justice Charles D. Gonthier of the Supreme Court of Canada

Claire Morel de Westgaver, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, United Kingdom

Claire Morel is a partner in BCLP’s International Arbitration group. She is qualified in England & Wales and in New York, with a mixed common / civil law background, having completed her legal education in Belgium and in the USA. She practises international arbitration as counsel, as advocate and as arbitrator, and conducts proceedings in both English and French language. She represents clients in high-stakes cross-border disputes and has a particular experience of disputes relating to technology, corporate transactions, licenses, cross-border sale or service agreements, as well as disputes involving secrecy, intellectual property and cybersecurity issues. She is a Board member of the Silicon Valley Arbitration and Mediation Center (SVAMC), she sits on the ICC Taskforce on the use of Information Technology in arbitral proceedings, on the IBA Arbitration Committee Taskforce on Privilege in International Arbitration and on the Advisory Board of CyberArb.

Mark Morril, MorilADR, United States

Chambers-ranked independent arbitrator; Fellow Chartered Institute, College Commercial Arbitrators. Experience: transactions, insurance, technology, telecommunications, oil/gas, pharma/life sciences, partnerships/JVs, IP, media/entertainment. Earlier: General Counsel, Simon & Schuster; Deputy General Counsel, Paramount Global; law firm partner. Also: ICC Commission; ICC ADR in Arbitration Task Force, ICCA-NYC Bar-CPR Cybersecurity Protocol; ICC Report Leveraging Technology for Fair, Effective, and Efficient International Arbitration Proceedings; A Call to Cyberarms: The International Arbitrator’s Duty to Avoid Digital Intrusion by Taking Reasonable Cybersecurity Measures, (with Stephanie Cohen) Fordham International Law Journal (2017), Transnational Dispute Management (2019), (CPR Institute Outstanding Professional Article Award).

The interactions of players with each other and with in-game activities provide game developers with a wealth of data and insight into their game's players. Data analytics tools allow game developers to delve still deeper into that data. How games manage or fail to manage that data in responsible ways presents a unique opportunity to look at current and emerging issues in data protection. This session will include a discussion of cases arising from mismanagement and the data protection issues relating to dynamic game adjustments and in-app communications.

Speakers:

Peter K. Czegledy, Aird & Berlis LLP, Canada - Moderator

Peter is a member of the firm's Corporate/Commercial Group, as well as the Intellectual Property, Mergers & Acquisitions/Private Equity, Technology and Licensing Groups. He is Chair of the Gaming Group and co-Chair of the firm’s Esports & Gaming Group and Sports, Media & Entertainment Group. His practice includes assisting a spectrum of clients ranging from start-up private businesses to large multinationals. Peter’s esports practice includes corporate, commercial, transactional and regulatory matters for domestic and international clients. He has advised game publishers, platform providers, financing parties, regulators, payment processors, hardware manufacturers, underwriters, industry associations and other parties active throughout the sector.  He frequently writes and speaks on legal issues related to the esports industry. Peter also has substantial expertise in the area of gambling and gaming law, with experience both in the acquisition/establishment phase and as ongoing corporate counsel managing compliance with applicable regulatory regimes and advising on technological applications. He has acted in both private transactions and public procurements, and has represented a multitude of leading participants in the casino, track, i-gaming, mobile gambling and gaming and social gaming industries.

Mitko Kraushkov, Karushkov Legal Solutions, Bulgaria

Mitko provides solutions and advice to companies whose assets include technology or employ technology in their business operations, amongst which quantum telco, payment companies, media, machine learning cpmpanies etc.

Martim Taborda Barata, ICTLC, Portugal

Partner at ICTLC, in charge of managing privacy/data protection legal compliance strategies with multinational companies (and their local subsidiaries), EU institutions and international organisations. Qualified Portuguese lawyer, primarily focused on advising local start-ups and smaller companies (particularly software and video game developers) on privacy/data protection, intellectual property - mostly copyright and trademarks - IT and video game law matters in general.

Jessica Copeland, Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC, United States

Jessica is a Member at the law firm of Bond, Schoeneck & King, and Chair of the firm's Cybersecurity and Data Privacy practice. Jessica’s passion for the intersection of law and technology is exemplified in each area of her legal practice.  Whether she is advising clients on protecting their intellectual property, navigating the ever-changing data privacy compliance landscape for clients, or coaching clients through incident response matters, Jessica’s nearly 20 years of experience offers her clients an array of technology law counsel.  Jessica earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from NYU, her Juris Doctorate from St. John’s University School of Law, a certificate of cybersecurity leadership from Carnegie Mellon University and is a Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States (CIPP/US).

The threat of cyber attacks is now a known business risk. As a result, businesses need to prepare for a cyber incident, and that includes scenario testing situations where engagement with an attacker may be necessary or preferred.  In this session, we look at the behaviors of threat actors, the intelligence available to determine the modus operandi of attack groups, and the approaches for deciding whether to and how to engage, along with the likely events thereafter.

Speakers:

Jennifer Davidson, Deeth Williams Wall LLP, Canada

Jennifer Davidson is a partner at Deeth Williams Wall (Toronto), practicing in Cybersecurity and Technology law. Jennifer advises on the digital risk lifecycle, including incident preparedness, response, ransomware negotiations, mitigation, and regulatory compliance.  Jennifer holds a JD from Osgoode Hall Law School and post-graduate diplomas in public relations and web development. Her education and experience offer clients a unique perspective on the legal, PR and technical considerations of breach response. Jennifer is the President of the Canadian Technology Law Association (CAN-TECH), Executive Member of Ontario Bar Association’s IP&IT Law Section and faculty at Osgoode’s Drafting and Negotiation IT Agreements program.

Roland Mathys, Schellenberg Wittmer, Switzerland

Roland Mathys is an attorney-at-law and partner at Schellenberg Wittmer Ltd in Zurich/Switzerland where he heads the firm's technology and data law team. He studied law and computer science in Basel and Zurich and holds an LL.M. in technology law from the London School of Economics (LSE). In his practice, he regularly advises and represents clients on, among other things, large IT and outsourcing projects, cloud and XaaS projects, Swiss and EU data protection law, legal issues relating to digital platforms and new technologies, and cybersecurity. Roland Mathys publishes in his areas of expertise and regularly speaks at international and national conferences. He is Vice-Chair of the Technology Law Committee of the International Bar Association (IBA), Past Chair of the Oversight Committee of the International Technology Law Association (ITechLaw), Co-Chair of the Law Commission of swissICT, member of the Steering Board of digitalswitzerland and Co-Editor of sic!, Switzerland's leading journal for intellectual property, information and competition law. He is currently authoring a publication on legal aspect of cybersecurity which will be the first of its kind in Switzerland. Roland Mathys is listed in leading international lawyer directories as a recognised expert in technology and data law, namely Chambers (Ti-er 1), Legal500 (Leading Individual) and Who's Who Legal (Thought Leader).

Jason Kotler, CYPFER Corp., Canada

Jason is Founder & President of CYPFER Corp, one of the largest singularly-focused Global Cyber Extortion and Ransomware Advisory, Negotiations and Recovery firms. Cypfer has had unsurpassed success in helping victim organizations recover from some of the largest global cyber-attacks. Jason has effectively managed more than 1,000 cyber extortion incidents and has a deep understanding of the incident attack chain, adversarial mindset, and negotiations and settlement strategies. He has built an elite Emergency Incident Response – “ER Team” – that specializes in conducting complex threat intelligence operations and engagement with cyber threat actors. Under his leadership, CYPFER has delivered an unsurpassed success rate of 100% on resolving mission-critical, time-sensitive and complex cyber-incidents and targeted extortions of high-profile individuals, well within the target objectives and defined success parameters, for companies of all sizes, ranging from Not-for-Profits, SMEs to large multinationals and public companies with revenue in the billons, in diverse sectors, industries and highly-regulated markets. Jason has more than 25 years of experience as a seasoned executive, holding CEO, COO, CISO and CIO roles, and successfully building, leading and scaling hyper-growth technology companies. Prior to founding CYPFER, Jason was the Chief Administrative Officer of a US $1.75B AUM Private Equity Fund based in Toronto and Nevada where he was solely responsible for enterprise risk management. As a serial entrepreneur, Jason spent more than 15 years founding (and funding), advising to and successfully exiting technology startups in the cryptocurrency, cybersecurity, FinTech, data protection, Internet-of-Things (IoT), process controls, cleantech, renewable energy, and medical devices industries. Jason is also an experienced lawyer and a member of the Law Society of Ontario (LSO), having started his professional career practicing Privacy, Intellectual Property, Technology and M&A and Corporate Commercial Law with McMillan LLP in Toronto. At Capgemini, he was a hands-on Senior Strategy & Transformation Consultant where he advised senior executives and managed strategy and management consulting engagements, leading and implementing critical strategic, cybersecurity, technology, change management and crisis management initiatives. Jason holds an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business, a JD from Osgoode Hall Law School, a Bachelor of Art, Visual Arts from Western University, and is a Certified Management Consultant (CMC). Jason has spoken at numerous events and been interviewed by industry practitioners and media as a leading cybersecurity expert on topics ranging from cyber-attacks and breaches, cyber extortion, ransomware, cybercrime, data privacy and protection, and developing proactive cyber-awareness and ransomware readiness strategies and playbooks.

The rapid advancements in technology are reshaping the economic landscape and the daily routines of individuals. New technologies offer tools that promote further innovation, knowledge creation, education, and economic development. However, legislative and regulatory regimes continue to fall behind industry’s advancements. How can technology law professionals address emerging challenges relating to human rights, privacy, online security, and intellectual property rights? Negotiations on an international legal instrument relating to the intellectual property rights of Indigenous peoples may offer some insight into this question. 

Keynote:

Stuart Wuttke, Assembly of First Nations, Canada

Stuart Wuttke is a leader in Indigenous rights and policy reform. He has been pivotal to the development of federal legislation which is rights based, such as the new child and family services legislation. As General Counsel at the Assembly of First Nations, Mr. Wuttke advanced the largest ever class action settlements, including the implementation of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement and the recent settlement agreement related to discrimination against Indigenous children and their families. His involvement on the national stage has lent itself to significant progress for First Nations and the advancement of reconciliation in Canada.

Outsourcing data and IT capabilities to the cloud offers a number of advantages, but it also raises new risks that businesses must face and attempt to mitigate, both in their contracts and their operations. In this session, our panel of experts will share practical advice from their experience on outsourcing to the cloud and how best to manage that process.

Speakers:

Dimitri Timmer, SAP, Netherlands - Moderator

Dimitri Timmer supports SAP’s Netherlands market unit as a legal director and is responsible for all commercial legal aspects of SAP’s business in the Netherlands. Mr. Timmer previously worked in private practice, at Microsoft as a Senior Counsel in the USA and in the Netherlands and served as a legal director within the Corporate IT department of Royal Philips Electronics. Mr. Timmer has 20 years of experience as a legal professional, more specifically in the field of IP and IT. He has ample experience when it comes to, negotiating and drafting IT/cloud contracts, complex multinational outsourcing deals, global license agreements, managing global data-breaches. Mr. Timmer is a graduate of Nijmegen University and the post-doctorate Grotius Academy on IT law.

Espen Werring, Thommessen, Norway

Espen is a highly specialised, top-rated IT lawyer with more than 20 years experience focusing on large and complex projects and transactions. He primarily advise large organisations in developing and implementing their digital business strategies. This includes advising on sourcing strategies, contract strategies, contract drafting and negotiation, project implementation (including contract management), project rescue, renegotiation and dispute resolution. The legal aspects of these deals primarily include contract law, privacy law (GDPR), intellectual property law and sector-specific regulatory requirements. Espen's experience span a wide variety of industry sectors, including telecoms, financial services, insurance, energy, media, shipping and retail. Espen has developed a profound understanding of the commercial and technical aspects of these projects and transactions, which enables him to address the key challenges and opportunities facing both parties in these complex, long term and often mission-critical relationships. Espen is top rated within this area of specialisation, having won the annual peer-review ratings by the Norwegian Finance Daily (Finansavisen) the last five years as well as being rated as a Tier 1 individual in representative lawyer directories such as Chambers&Partners, Legal500 and Who's Who Legal (including as a "thought leader" within IT/Data).

Doron Goldstein, Withersworldwide, United States

Doron is a Partner at Withersworldwide, and the Americas lead for the Privacy, Data and Cybersecurity practice. Doron assists clients – from start-ups to multinationals – to address and overcome complex and sometimes frightening situations involving privacy, data security and information technology. A former software developer and network administrator, Doron was named a “Cybersecurity Trailblazer” by the National Law Journal and a Client Service All-Star by BTI. The combination of his business experience, technical understanding and legal knowledge allows him to provide informed, cogent and practical advice to clients.

Many privacy and industry regulations require notifications to be made to individuals who are put at risk as a result of a personal data breach.  The requirements differ across jurisdictions, leading sometimes to competing obligations.  In this simulation legal counsel from the US and UK will advise a cross-border company that has been the subject of a cyber-attack on the best approach on notifications.

Speakers:

Edward McNicholas, Ropes & Gray LLP, United States

Edward McNicholas is a co-leader of Ropes & Gray’s data, privacy & cybersecurity practice. He represents technologically sophisticated clients facing complex data, privacy, and cybersecurity issues in litigation, investigative, and counseling matters. His clients include financial institutions, technology companies, insurance companies, branded pharma companies, healthcare providers, data brokers, and e-commerce retailers. 

Ian De Freitas, Farrer & Co, United Kingdom

Ian is a partner at Farrer & Co in London and head of its Data, IP & Technology Disputes Team. As part of his practice, Ian handles the regulatory and reputational fallout from data breaches and cyber incidents along with the follow-on litigation claims. Many of these incidents are cross-border in nature and Ian has particular experience in helping North American-based clients navigate their way through the European aspects of a breach.

The collection of data from readily available sources is at the foundation of open-source intelligence. On this foundation, a variety of data analysis tools are added. Some tools scour the web and dark web for threats to your organization and its leaders. Some are used to provide background on individuals or set topics, and there is no denying that OSI dossiers produced by a skilled investigator or a well-honed tool are often impressive. Still, there are some legal issues to consider when you or your client choose to use OSI.

Speaker: 

Keith Elliott, Reed Research Investigations, Canada

Keith Elliott is the CEO of Reed Research Limited, a Professional Investigation firm based out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He holds an Honours Degree in Law & Security Administration and is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), is designated as a Certified International Investigator (CII), and Certified as a Master Investigator. A Professional Investigator with over 30 years of experience, Mr. Elliott has practical involvement in identifying risk and investigating a matters relating to; frauds , intellectual property, criminal enterprise, open source intelligence and executing Anton Piller Orders. He completed work internationally, testified in precedent setting cases cases across Canada

The tech industry continues to face increasing scrutiny from antitrust regulators and legislators. Government enforcers are litigating landmark antitrust cases against large tech companies.  The EU has passed the Digital Markets Act, which targets the largest digital “Gatekeeper” platforms for special rules and obligations, and in the U.S., President Biden continues to push for regulation of online platforms. The Canadian government is contemplating an overhaul of Canada’s competition laws, and proposals include assessing the conduct of big tech platforms under significantly stricter standards. Keep up on these and other developments in the ongoing efforts of Canada, Europe, and the US to understand the role of antitrust law in big tech markets.

Speakers:

Julie Soloway, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, Canada - Moderator

Julie Soloway is a Partner and Co-Chair of the Blakes Competition, Antitrust and Foreign Investment Group. Julie is at the forefront of the most complex and high-profile Canadian and cross-border merger transactions. Julie also has special expertise in the Investment Canada Act and has been successful in securing approvals for foreign investors in Canada’s key industries. Julie is ranked in all leading directories as one of Canada’s top competition lawyers. She is co-founder of Canadian Women in Competition Law and co-author of the book: Leading the Way: Canadian Women in the Law (LexisNexis).

Dee Bansal, Cooley LLP, United States

Dee Bansal's practice focuses on defending clients in high-stakes antitrust litigation, including complex class actions, and in investigations brought by the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission and State AGs related to claims of monopolization, restraint of trade and unfair and deceptive practices.

Vass Bednar, McMaster University, Canada

Vass Bednar is the Executive Director of McMaster University’s MPP in Digital Society (currently on sabbatical) and an Adjunct Professor of Political Science. She is a senior fellow at CIGI, a Fellow at the Public Policy Forum, and a former Action Canada Fellow. Much of her recent research and advocacy has focussed on the modernization of competition law in Canada. Vass also writes the newsletter “regs to riches,” where she explores the relationship(s) between rules and prosperity.

Marc Wiggers, Loyens Loeff, Netherlands

Marc Wiggers is an attorney-at-law, and partner at Loyens & Loeff (Amsterdam). He specialises in EU competition and tech law and advises platforms, business users of platforms and providers and user of digital services and products. Marc is a (head) lecturer at the post graduate Grotius Academy in the Netherlands and teaches at universities. In 2013, he obtained a PhD with a thesis on competition and regulatory supervision. 

When reading about a new technology without having interacted with it, it is far too easy to get caught up in the swirl of predictions of how it will change the world: the overly optimistic predictions and the ones predicting catastrophe and ruin.

Beginning with a featured speaker whose insight will cut through that swirl and continuing with breakout groups each of which will be showcasing a variant of generative AI live and leading a discussion of related legal issues, this session brings the technology to you and provides an opportunity to participate in one or more informed discussions.

Speakers:

Barry Sookman, McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Canada

Barry Sookman is a senior counsel with McCarthy Tétrault in the Toronto office. He is the former Co-Chair of the firm’s Technology Law Group and was the head of the firm’s Internet and Electronic Commerce Group. Prior to that, he was head of its Intellectual Property Group for six years. He is one of Canada’s foremost authorities in the area of information technology, intellectual property (including copyright), and privacy/anti-spam law. Mr. Sookman is also the author of numerous articles dealing with information technology and intellectual property. As well, he is an adjunct Professor who teaches intellectual property at Osgoode Hall Law School. Mr. Sookman is very experienced in providing advice in connection with complex information technology/intellectual property transactions including outsourcing and other strategic procurement relationships, cloud computing, SAAS, joint venture transactions, and licensing. He has been involved as lead lawyer in Canada’s biggest and most complicated domestic and international licencing, outsourcing and cloud computing deals and disputes. He regularly acts on transactions which must meet regulatory requirements including the OSFI-B10 Outsourcing Guideline and other applicable guidelines and advisories and privacy and data handling issues. He also provides advice in connection with protecting and exploiting intellectual property and new media products. Mr Sookman is also very experienced in information technology and intellectual property issues that arise in military procurement contexts. This includes experience with the Standard Acquisition Clauses and Conditions (SACC), providing strategic advice in connection with defense procurements, responding to RFPs, supply chain challenges, and complex licensing terms for software and other high technology items. He also has extensive experience assisting clients in conducting business over the Internet including drafting web site terms and conditions and meeting regulatory requirements such as for writings and signatures. Barry Sookman also has a myriad of experience dealing with privacy and data protection issues including compliance with PIPEDA, and cross-border data flows. He is also one of Canada’s leading lawyers on Canada’s anti-spam law CASL. This includes giving advice in connection with CRTC investigations and in connection with CASL’s private right of action. Barry Sookman is also very active in ethical and regulatory issues associated with artificial intelligence. Mr. Sookman is very experienced in intellectual property and information technology litigation and arbitration proceedings. He has extensive expertise in copyright matters including in anti-piracy, copyright enforcement, and infringement proceedings including infringements related to computer and entertainment software, software, music, books, databases, audiovisual and other works, technological protection measures, Internet disputes, license disputes, Crown copyright, rights clearances, and international copyright issues including copyright treaty compliance. He regularly advises clients on copyright issues and has testified numerous times before Parliamentary and Senate Committees on copyright and intellectual property trade related issues.
 

Kritika Bharadwaj, Day Pitney LLP, United States

Kritika Bharadwaj is a partner at Day Pitney LLP based in New York, with a practice focused on technology and intellectual property transactions. She has over a decade of experience advising on, and negotiating high-value deals related to, the development, commercialization, outsourcing and procurement of technology products or services, and the financing, acquisition and sale of technology-driven businesses. She also advises on data privacy, trademarks and telecom and emerging technologies. She regularly represents emerging to multi-national corporate clients across industries, including technology, life sciences, healthcare, banking, manufacturing, retail, and energy. Kritika is dual-qualified to practice in New York and India.

Matt Hervey, Gowling WLG, United Kingdom

Matt Hervey is Head of Artificial Intelligence (UK) and advises on Artificial Intelligence (AI) across all sectors, including automotive, life sciences, finance and retail. He is joint General Editor of The Law of Artificial Intelligence (by Sweet & Maxwell). Matt was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2022 in recognition of his leadership in the field of AI. He is in AI-related working groups for the IP Federation, the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI), the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the World Law Group. Matt is a trusted intellectual property adviser, especially for clients with complex patent disputes, including SEP (FRAND) litigation. He is described as "stand out" and "absolutely superb" for patent disputes (Legal 500). His cases have involved video compression, telecommunications (2G, 3G, LTE, DSL and others standards), aircraft design, software (algorithmic trading, consumer share trading platforms, 3D modelling), consumer electronics (inkjet printers), location sensing and traffic analysis. He has extensive experience of healthcare and Life Sciences work including monoclonal antibodies, biosimilars, toxins, medical devices and cosmetics. Matt has handled product clearances and disputes involving copyright, trademarks, designs and confidential information for clients in the aerospace, retail, fashion, automotive and financial services sectors. Matt managed the litigation team that successfully defended three patents of the Kennedy Trust for Rheumatology Research in the first 'biosimilar' patent litigation in the UK. He managed one of the cases for Fujifilm Kyowa Kirin Biologics Co., Ltd leading to the first granted "Arrow" declaration in the UK. He also has experience of high-value arbitration.

Ideshini Naidoo, Thomson Reuters, Canada

Ideshini leads LegalTech Engineering at Thomson Reuters. She joined TR from Wave Financial where she led the Engineering & Data Science teams to a large tech exit and was named one of Canada’s Top 50 Women in FinTech. Prior to that she led Electronic Banking transformation at two major banks and launched award-winning Online Banking systems. She’s an active speaker in the technology community and an advocate for People of Colour and women in technology.

Stephen Henderson, Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, Canada

Stephen Henderson is a partner in the Business Law Group at Cassels. Stephen’s legal practice focuses on entertainment and intellectual property matters across many industries including music, film and television, sports, fashion, video games, theatre, book publishing, marketing, and social media. Stephen prides himself on providing reasoned and practical advice to a wide variety of clients. These clients include major broadcasters, game developers, some of Canada’s biggest brands, and chart-topping as well as up-and-coming recording artists. His work has included transactions involving the purchase of music catalogues (master and publishing) and the sale of major fashion brands with global trademark portfolios. He is frequently involved in the negotiation and drafting of all manner of music-related agreements including recording, publishing, producer, and endorsement agreements. He is also experienced in legal issues relating to touring, festivals, and televised performances.