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Artificial intelligence is already creating value, driving growth, and improving efficiency. Its future potential is limitless — but harnessing the power of AI is not straightforward. It requires technical understanding, dealmaking dexterity, and regulatory responsiveness.
We are the law firm of choice for ambitious and innovative businesses. With a long history of advising technology leaders and disruptors, we understand the real-world complexities of artificial intelligence and provide legal counsel that helps companies of all sizes, in all sectors, translate opportunity into reality.
Whether you’re leading AI innovation, investing in the future, or helping your organisation manage AI risk, we can help.
The AI investment marketplace is intricate and constantly evolving. Whether you're buying or selling, we excel in negotiation and deal structuring to maximise value and minimise complications. As an investor, we can advise you in the areas of due diligence, risk assessments, technology assessments, investment structuring, IP safeguarding strategies, venture capital, private equity, and private capital.
Organisations across the world are adopting AI technology to power their processes and gain a competitive edge. As a general counsel, our AI-specialist lawyers can advise you in the areas of regulatory compliance, IP safeguarding strategies, data protection strategies and documentation, commercial contracts and outsourcing agreements, dispute resolution, and employment and labour.
Companies that understand, embrace, and integrate AI technologies will succeed in tomorrow's world. Our role as legal AI experts is to keep you informed and guide you through compliance to avoid legal and commercial pitfalls. We offer strategic M&A counsel for buyers and sellers, including due diligence and technology assessments, commercial contracts and outsourcing agreements, risk assessments and tax advice.
The AI landscape is subject to evolving regulations. We understand that protecting your AI-related intellectual property is crucial. Our AI-law experts provide comprehensive legal services and advice, including regulatory compliance, IP safeguarding strategies, data protection strategies and documentation, strategic M&A counsel, IPO advisory, venture capital, private equity, wealth management, and tax.
Find out more about sectors and services related to our AI offering.
Latest news & insights
To legislate, or not to legislate on AI? The UK government thinks it has the answer
Advising Greyparrot on its AI partnership with Bollegraaf
by multiple authors
Inheriting the future – children, AI and data
Victoria Hordern looks at the impact of AI on children, and at the role of AI and data protection legislation in protecting them from potential AI-related harms.
3 of 4 Insights
Taylor Wessing launches new Gen-AI tool TWLitium across its international offices
by Emma Danks
The interfaces between artificial intelligence and the Data Act
by Dr. Carolin Monsees, CIPP/E and Stephanie Richter, LL.M. (Torino), CIPP/E
Founded in 2001, BlackLine provides leading accounting automation software to more than 4,200 customers in 130 countries including Dominos Pizza, The Coca-Cola Company and Ebay.
Its solutions include financial close management, accounting automation, and intercompany governance, which help large enterprises and midsize companies do accounting work more efficiently, with more control.
As an innovation-focused company, BlackLine has always sought to implement technologies that can improve its services. Recognising the potential of AI, in 2020 it identified an M&A opportunity – AI-powered cloud platform Rimilia. Due to our extensive experience with emerging technologies and tech-focused transactions, BlackLine asked us to advise on this acquisition.
The $150m transaction drew on the expertise of practices across the firm, including:
By acquiring Rimilia, BlackLine expanded its capabilities by adding AI-powered accounts receivable automation to its accounting platform. It was a pleasure helping BlackLine progress its long-term plan to transform and modernise finance and accounting.
Empolis is a leading provider of cloud-based and AI-powered business intelligence and analytics software. It provides solutions to international public and private sector clients including BMW, Bosch and Vodafone, with 700,000 people using Empolis products every day.
Empolis has been recognised as one of the leading AI pioneers in Germany, and its AI capabilities have caught the attention of large organisations. It has collaborated with Amazon Web Services's Machine Learning Prototype team to embed generative AI capabilities into its smart decision support solutions, allowing users to easily obtain business-critical information.
In 2022, keen to add Empolis's leading intelligent service, knowledge and content management products to its portfolio, proALPHA acquired Empolis. Due to our reputation for advising leading tech companies, Empolis's shareholders/Empolis asked us to advise on this transaction.
It drew on the expertise of a number of our German practice and sector groups, including:
Through this acquisition proALPHA gained access to Empolis's state-of-the art AI technology, integrating Empolis's products into its ERP+ portfolio. Empolis has continued to act as a legally independent unit within the proAlpha Group, and together they're helping customers improve efficiency around the world.
Five AI is an autonomous driving start-up that builds self-driving software and development platforms to help create the technological foundations for autonomous driving. Autonomous vehicles are predicted to be a multibillion-dollar industry, and innovators with leading technology are attractive acquisition targets for larger automotive companies.
In 2022, Five AI found itself in this exact position when it was acquired by Bosch, one of the world's biggest mobility providers. To ensure this acquisition went smoothly, Five AI needed advice from a law firm with extensive experience delivering tech-focused transactions and a strong grasp of the key issues that come with the automotive sector.
Due to our reputation for delivering excellence in both, Five AI asked us to advise them on this transaction. It was led by experts in our Corporate team, with additional support provided by a range of our practices including:
With this acquisition Bosch improved its autonomous driving capabilities and has further consolidated its market position in software and automated driving. It was a pleasure to advise Five AI on this transaction, which now has access to Bosch's core technologies and vast data lakes which will be essential in bringing safe self-driving systems to market.
Learneo is a US-based provider of educational software solutions that develops and acquires breakthrough learning and productivity technologies. It operates six distinct businesses as part of its platform, including AI-powered writing companion QuillBot and AI-based mathematics resource Symbolab.
In May 2023, Learneo was looking to add another brand to its platform and asked us to advise on the acquisition of LanguageTool, a German-based multilingual writing platform.
A Taylor Wessing team led by our German M&A practice advised Learneo on all German aspects of the transaction, with support from colleagues in the US. The transaction required the expertise of a number of our practice groups including:
This acquisition allowed Learneo to expand its range of writing solutions, add LanguageTool's unique language and AI expertise to its business, and advance its larger international expansion strategy.
Shipyard Technology Ventures is a leading global venture builder on a mission to create and co-create great companies. It works with large organisations to co-create independent start-ups free from the constraints of their business, offering them the option to purchase the start-up at a predefined price in the future if the company is successful.
One such success story is BoatyardX. A high-growth custom software developer, BoatyardX has established a reputation for future-proofing businesses with robust open-source software and world-class UI/UX design. It was co-created as part of Shipyard Technology Ventures' portfolio in 2019 and has significant expertise in building cloud-based custom software for clients in the fintech, payments, e-commerce and IoT sectors.
We're recognised as having one of the strongest venture capital practices in Europe, with experience advising leading technology businesses in various sectors across their life cycle.
When Shipyard Technology Ventures decided to sell BoatyardX in 2022, they approached us to advise them on selling the business to Ergo, Ireland's largest privately-owned IT services company. The transaction was led by members of the Taylor Wessing Ireland Corporate team, with support from Taylor Wessing UK's Intellectual Property practice.
Through this acquisition Ergo added BoatyardX's international experience and strength in custom cloud-based product development to its software capability. This will allow it to meet growing demand for bespoke business critical applications and to build new products that address emerging market opportunities in the future.
Qubit developed AI-powered personalisation technology for merchandising teams across various sectors including luxury fashion, DIY and hospitality.
In 2021, it asked us to advise on its acquisition by Coveo, a Canadian relevance platform and applied AI company that transforms digital experiences with AI-powered search, recommendations, and personalisation. The transaction was led by our UK Corporate practice, with additional support provided by our Tax and Incentives practice.
This transaction further accelerated Coveo's geographic expansion into the UK and European markets. Acquiring Qubit's capabilities will allow Coveo to accelerate the delivery of more innovative personalised digital commerce experiences and provide retailers with innovative, AI-powered e-commerce solutions.
Sony is one of the most recognisable brands in the world. Perhaps most famous as a global leader in consumer electronics due to its Playstation brand, the Sony Group Corporation has diversified into multiple sectors including films, semiconductors, electric vehicles, music and sports.
Sony's sports business includes officiating and goal-line technology product Hawk-Eye and digital media company Pulselive. In 2022, it was looking to make a new strategic investment and asked us to advise on the acquisition of Beyond Sports.
Beyond Sports is a Dutch AI-based visualisation company that analyses sports games with virtual reality. Since being founded in 2014, it has built a reputation for delivering world-class data and data visualisation to organisations, and its technology is used by some of the biggest names in sports including ESPN, the NFL and the NHL.
The transaction was led by Taylor Wessing Netherlands, who guided Sony through the complex data and technology aspects of Beyond Sport's business. The acquisition of Beyond Sports marked a key step in Sony's plan to provide a market-leading, end-to-end data tracking and visualisation solution to leagues, federations and broadcasters.
Related tools and content
Digital Legislation Tracker
To help you stay on top of developments we've built a high-level legislation tracker looking at areas relevant to digital businesses across the EU, UK and Germany.
Interface
Analysis and exploration of legal and commercial issues in tech, IP, media and related sectors.