What is it about? OECD proposals to tax the digital economy which will significantly impact all large tech companies that are consumer oriented. What will the impact be? Businesses will pay more tax. Impact on cash-flow, earnings per share and valuations. There will also be lots of complexity to ensure compliance. What should businesses be doing now? Watching for what comes out of the OECD, including on 9 Dec on the second round of proposals. …

LONDON, 25 November 2019 – Hogan Lovells has published a study evaluating the ongoing legislative proposal for a new ePrivacy Regulation, a law aimed at updating the current ePrivacy framework in the EU. After nearly three years of debates and negotiations, the European Union is nowhere near agreeing a position on how to achieve the right balance between the need for technological innovation, public security and the protection of privacy in the context of the digital economy.…

On November 12, members of the Federal Communications Bar Association (FCBA) gathered in Washington, DC, to commemorate 25 years of spectrum auctions at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).  Hosted at Hogan Lovells LLP, the event featured current and former FCC staff members and industry lawyers, who discussed the history and future of spectrum auctions. The FCC’s leadership and strong record of innovation in administering spectrum auctions was a recurrent theme of the program. The Beginning…

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in consultation with the Department of Agriculture, announced the members of the Task Force for Reviewing the Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture in the United States (Task Force). The Task Force, an advisory body to the FCC, will investigate the current state of broadband access in agricultural lands and recommend policies and regulatory solutions to the FCC to promote broadband deployment and precision agriculture, standardize data collections, and…

esports are so much more than an innovative, rapidly growing competitive sports discipline: from a brand owner and investor perspective, esports also provide truly global multi-channel opportunities for unique marketing and advertising initiatives with the potential to appeal to today’s over-sated young audiences. And with the rapid growth of the industry comes its increasingly sophisticated regulation, providing a degree of stability and legal certainty that is crucial for attracting investment. In short, esports come equipped…

On October 23, 2019, the U.S. Department of Defense announced a plan to pilot 5G technologies on four military installations in partnership with private industry and the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.  Lisa Porter, Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, revealed the Defense Department’s plans during an appearance at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Los Angeles with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and Diane Rinaldo, Assistant Secretary of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).…

Recent developments reinforce the urgent need for general counsel and legal departments to deepen their focus on cybersecurity. In today’s environment, any organization can be the target of a cyberattack, regardless of industry, size, or geographic footprint. Indeed, in just the past few years, a variety of cyber adversaries have attacked financial institutions, social media sites, a movie studio, hospital systems, a peer-to-peer ridesharing company, the Democratic National Committee, hotel chains, city governments, educational institutions,…