Technology companies, like those across a wide range of sectors, are navigating through the consequences of the global pandemic. The new normal raises both challenges and opportunities from situations that we have never encountered before. Technology is the driving force behind new ways of working and living. At the same time, there is an expected surge on the policy and regulatory front and increasing pressure points around global trade wars.
This year, due to the global pandemic, we were forced to hold the first virtual first Tech Talk event across the week of September 14-18 2020. Instead of our usual in-person conference, we held a series of virtual panels - each engaging 30 minute panel featured succinct, practical and timely overviews of the most important global legal developments that are relevant to TMT companies.
Day One: Digital Transformation & Connectivity – The Way Forward
Cloud Services - The Key to Delivering Digital Transformation
In the battle against COVID-19, lockdowns and quarantined citizens as well as closed borders have effectively accelerated the rate of digital transformation across business sectors and across the globe. Cloud services are essential to facilitate new ways of working and of making virtual connections. Our digital transformation cloud specialists will provide their insights around how technology continues to forever change the way companies operate, people live and work, and how that change will happen, and will be regulated.
Trade Wars and Protectionism - Digital Sovereignty Under Attack
Tech companies face specific challenges from a protectionism and trade wars standpoint. Our expert global panel will focus on the short and long term issues around the increased focus on national security in procurement and the geo-political landscape, including on national defence driven controls/foreign investment restrictions, revenue generation, and China/US trade wars.
Data Transfers - Survival strategies after CCPA, CPRA, and Schrems II
Data transfers are a hot compliance issue for TMT companies and recent developments have created significant uncertainty in this space. In this session, our specialists will share survival strategies for TMT organizations to ensure their data transfers withstand potential scrutiny.
Day Two: Digital Content – How to Deal with Challenges and Meet Demand
User Generated Content
As the demand for user generated content continues to rapidly rise, tech companies are facing more scrutiny than ever. Our expert panel will share their insights on how to address critical issues and risk mitigation.
Content Production - Back in Action
The pandemic has accelerated the surge in consumer demand for online content. The flipside of that for content producers is the huge challenge around opening - and keeping open - production facilities. Our global experts will share their insights and focus on those challenges, including on issues such as content governance and the view of regulators.
Online Gaming Privacy
The online gaming market is rapidly growing and evolving. During this session, hear from our expert panel about the biggest privacy risks and pitfalls in online gaming and learn how to build privacy into design processes rather than it being an afterthought.
Day Three: Supply Chain and the Environment – What Next?
Supply chain - Building Robust Strategies
The pandemic has produced an unprecedented global supply chain crisis and supply chain risk management has jumped to the top of many tech companies’ agendas. Longer term, digitization of supply chain will be increasingly important. To take advantage of policy boosts around the world businesses will need to be agile, nimble and ready to tackle demand/supply constraints, re-address strategic and tax planning and re-consider business models. Our expert panel will provide insights on how to build resilient technology businesses.
Sustainability for Tech Companies
Companies in the TMT sector face a different set of regulations as the world attempts to create a new normal. Our experts from around the world will zero in on how the enforcement of environmental compliance has changed and how health and safety measures have evolved to prepare for the safe return to the workplace of employees, affect supply chain and more.
Blockchain and Privacy
How do blockchains intersect with privacy laws including the CCPA/CPRA and GDPR? Hear key tips from our industry experts on best practice when implementing blockchain technology in the TMT sector to minimize privacy risk.
Day Four: Digital Insights: Tax, The New Way of Remote Working and Data
Digital Service Taxes - unpacking what matters and what is conjecture
This session will cover the issues and challenges when it comes to the ever-growing number of digital services taxes. Our global panel will bring you up to date on the current state of play and will share their practical experiences of how companies are responding. They will also provide their perspective on the wider implications for US trade relationships with Europe.
Working Remotely
Working remotely is the new normal, but for how long? It raises key and overlapping issues across a range of areas such as Employment, Tax, Data Privacy/Security and more. In this session our subject-matter experts will bring together these various threads to give you practical tips on how to deal with the complex regulatory environment.
California Privacy Law
What can TMT businesses do to get ahead of the California Privacy Rights Act? Learn about how the CPRA aligns with, and differs from, the EU's GDPR. Our sector experts will also provide practical tips to protect and future-proof your data-based business models.
Day Five: The Future of Technology – Compliance, M&A and Data
Connected Compliance
Despite clear commercial incentives to integrate compliance, organisations across industries, including technology, often struggle to connect across their businesses and across borders. In this panel, our global experts will provide you with tips to find the right balance between strategic growth and compliance practice to increase business value around the pandemic and beyond.
The Biggest Trends and Issues to Spot in Tech M&A
The continued convergence of the tech industry is expected to be a trend in the post pandemic world and M&A is expected to help facilitate recovery. In this panel, our global experts will share with you their top tips on how to spot the key issues and on getting the deal done.
Privacy in the Pandemic
With digitalization accelerating as a result of the pandemic, privacy and cybersecurity risks are increasing. Our experts will share their insights on the biggest risks TMT organization are facing and provide tips for managing those risks.