With one of the most highly-regarded data protection practices in the world, together with our market-leading technology and advertising practices, Adtech - which incorporates aspects of all three areas - sits at the very centre of Bristows’ expertise.

We have a broad range of experience across the whole sector. From publishers to SSPs, DSPs to big brands and from some of the biggest names in the industry to innovative and disruptive new players, our experience includes:

• Advising a leading social media platform on a range of Adtech related issues, in relation to transparency, consent, data subject rights and accountability, as well as advising it in relation to a regulatory investigation into its Adtech practices
• Advising a leading search engine in connection with its suite of Adtech products and services, taking into account the GDPR, ePrivacy laws and its regulatory compliance program.
• Advising one of the world’s largest advertising groups regarding regulatory compliance, data privacy and commercial agreements for the provision of agency Adtech and media buying services
• Advising one of the world’s largest media and entertainment groups on a range of Adtech issues including on its arrangements with key vendors, consent practices in relation to cookies and mobile tracking and the implementation of the IAB’s Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF) across its properties

Many of our clients – from large tech and pharma companies to new market entrants – are either already using software and services powered by machine learning and other artificial intelligence techniques or are planning to in the near future. We help them progress their projects to develop, procure, implement and/or use AI.

Our corporate and commercial work includes intellectual property and data protection advice in relation to training datasets, drafting bespoke contracts for the licensing (in and out) of machine learning models and their outputs, as well as strategic advice on how to structure AI-focussed collaborations and partnerships. In the digital health space we have a particular focus on the legal aspects of how to develop and deploy AI tools effectively when using medical and patient data.

Here are just a few examples of our work:

• Advising a life sciences technology company specialising in data analytics on a strategic alliance with a hardware manufacturer to develop machine learning-enabled solutions for diabetes-related eye disease
• Advising a technology company on various aspects of a partnership with a leading university and a genetic biodata company. The project involved the application of machine learning technology to patient data in order to train algorithms to identify patients with high risk diseases.
• Creating SaaS contract templates for a top tier technology consultancy for a new machine learning products and services which are trained on their client’s datasets

Our clients share common concerns and face similar challenges when it comes to data and complying with their legal obligations. Changes in legislation, evolving enforcement regimes and the ever-present threat of potential cyber breaches can make the management of data a tricky business.

Fortunately this is our business.

With one of the biggest and most well-known teams in Europe, Bristows is the go-to firm for data. We offer unrivalled expertise as demonstrated by the breadth of our experience, including: 

• Developing practical and proportionate compliance programmes for organisations, large and small with considerable expertise in building GDPR programmes.
• Helping companies ensure that specific technology-based products and services meet legal requirements at all stages of development. We have an impressive understanding of how technology works at a data level and are regularly asked to advise on issues such as AI and machine learning, adtech, facial recognition, digital health, app development and cloud computing.
• Advising on international data transfers and ensuring internal and external data flows are lawful.
• Helping clients understand data subjects’ rights and how to comply effectively and efficiently to requests. 
• Helping when things go wrong - assisting with the immediate response and containment of a security incident, notifying authorities and any follow-on litigation.
• Advising on ongoing risk management, including embedding incident reporting and breach management within an organisation’s wider compliance processes.

Increasingly, our clients are also looking for ways to unlock the value of data. We help them navigate the issues and challenges that arise - such as access, sharing, usability, interoperability, and security – and develop strategies that are effective, responsible and compliant.

Our collaborative approach includes lawyers from our intellectual property, IT, commercial, competition, regulatory and litigation teams.

We advise a wide range of healthtech clients, from high-growth disruptive businesses to large multinational organisations. We help our clients achieve the business objectives for their healthtech projects and manage and mitigate risks at every stage.

Our expert teams work closely together to deliver holistic advice across a range of issues:

• Health regulatory: navigating regulatory challenges that are unique to digital health
• Data protection and privacy: specialised sector-specific advice, including NHS-specific issues
• Technology contracting: negotiating the arrangements that underpin healthtech supply chains
• Licencing and collaboration: allocating risks fairly, protecting existing IP, securing rights needed in future
• IP protection and enforcement: aligning healthtech solutions with the broader IP strategy
• Consumer protection, brands and advertising: ensuring advertising achieves the right balance between compelling and compliant
• Corporate and financing: negotiating innovative equity structures
• Procurement and competition: dealing with public/private partnerships
• AI and machine learning: monitoring the developing law in this area

As leading legal specialists in technology, intellectual property, media and data, we’re perfectly placed to support creators and gamechangers in the interactive entertainment space.

With one of the largest teams of technology specialists around, it’s no surprise that many of us live and breathe interactive entertainment and immersive technologies. Whether we're building our own gaming PCs, counting down the days to the latest video game release or exploring the metaverse, we embrace all the industry has to offer. This, combined with our top-tier legal expertise, means we’re the first choice for some of the biggest names across the interactive entertainment sector.

Our clients include everyone from small indie developers to multi-national publishers of ‘traditional’ AAA games, as well as communications platforms, social media platforms and newer non-traditional companies exploring the limits of virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence and cloud gaming.

We specialise in all legal fields applicable to the interactive entertainment sector, including intellectual property, licensing, data privacy, commercial collaborations and dispute resolution. Our size and culture encourages cooperation and interdisciplinary working, meaning we bring the best expertise to bear on a particular matter and can quickly pull together diverse teams with the necessary mix of expertise from across the firm.

As well as advising and supporting our established clients in the interactive entertainment sector, we also regularly work at the cutting-edge of related immersive and emerging technologies, including advising on recent developments in metaverse technologies and consumer use of AR/VR devices, the implementation and public launches of leading Generative AI models, and the use of machine learning in the video games sector.