TMT Talk Baker McKenzie

Last year was a landmark year for the Interactive Entertainment sector with record M&A and financing deal values amounting to USD 85 billion, but this was easily exceeded by even higher deal values in the first few months of 2022. In this episode, Teresa Michaud, Lisa Fontenot, and Tino Marz discuss the key developments that defined the M&A and investment market in recent few months and the possible outlook they see for transactional activity in the IE sector. For more helpful insight on these and other topics on the Interactive Entertainment sector, please read our short articles in Report 3 of TMT Looking Ahead 2022.

The adoption of cloud services is essential for Interactive Entertainment companies that are looking to expand their businesses by offering content on demand and cloud-based games. In this episode, Teresa Michaud, Carlos Vela-Trevino and Dominic Edmondson look into the factors that will affect the demand for cloud services and the issues and challenges that have an impact on this sector's cloud adoption strategies. For more helpful insight on these and other topics on the interactive entertainment sector, please read our short articles in Report 3 of TMT Looking Ahead 2022.

The international tax landscape is expected to change with the addition of new obligations, which would also require additional due diligence in tech transactions. In this episode of TMT Talk, Raffaele Giarda, Maria Antonia Azpeititia, and Erik Christenson discuss the impact of Digital Services Taxes, the OECD's Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 initiatives, the possibility of a US tax reform and what companies need to consider given these changes. For more helpful insight on these and other tech M&A focused topics please read our short articles in Report 2 of TMT Looking Ahead 2022.

There is a continued uptick in compliance and investigation activity in the technology sector and it is expected that this will remain true in the future. In this episode of TMT Talk, Carolina Pardo, Jerome Tomas, and Yindi Gesinde discuss the current state of the enforcement landscape, the issues, risk, and opportunities that technology companies need to consider given this, and what factors might drive enforcement in the future. For more helpful insight on these and other compliance topics please read our short articles in Report 1 of TMT Looking Ahead 2022.

Intellectual property (IP) and data have been essential to the rapid growth of tech companies. IP, specifically the ability to use, protect, and monetize it, is a driving deal component in tech M&A. Thorough due diligence of the target's IP and its compliance with applicable data privacy/protection laws is crucial to manage the risks of tech deals. In this episode of TMT Talk, Raffaele Giarda, Andy Leck, and Adam Aft give their insights on the critical role of IP and data when it comes to tech M&A and on the relevant trends and issues that we may see in the future in this space. For more helpful insight on these and other tech M&A topics please read our short articles in Report 2 of TMT Looking Ahead 2022.

The Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), Thailand's first law on data protection, is set to come into full effect on June 1 2022 and is designed to address key issues regarding the collection, use, or disclosure of personal data. With its extraterritorial reach, the PDPA is expected to significantly affect an increasingly global tech sector. In this episode, Lothar Determann, Kritiyanee Buranatrevedhya, Nam-ake Lekfuangfu, and Wasin Lertwalaipong go into detail about the compliance, employment, and enforcement aspects of the PDPA and provide their insights into what tech companies need to know and do in preparation for this new law.