CMS is proud to continue our Platinum Sponsorship of the GTWN’s flagship publication The Mobile Century for 2024.
The Mobile Century provides a global perspective on the most important issues facing the digital technology sector, while championing the role and contribution of women leaders in bringing about meaningful change. These characteristics align closely with the professional and cultural values of CMS’ Technology, Media and Communications Practice.
The TMC practice at CMS is a global team of specialist lawyers who are experts in the drivers behind the unprecedented changes in this fundamental sector. They have been exposed to all of the risks, challenges and opportunities that clients face and are best placed to deliver real world solutions through our award-winning disputes, corporate, IP, commercial, data privacy and security, employment and tax practices.
In this fast-paced industry innovation is key, and so tech and telecoms suppliers, and creators and distributors of media, need to protect their investments and maximise their commercial opportunities. Sector convergence coupled with the rapid evolution of new technologies has also opened up a wealth of opportunities in this industry and our clients are well aware of the need to adapt, diversify into new business lines, and often to grow, while all the time complying with new regulatory requirements.
The digital generation: challenges and opportunities
The promise and anticipation around Artificial Intelligence has captivated worldwide attention over the past year like no other recent technological revolution. Governments around the world have rushed to understand how they can respond to generative AI, ensuring that their industries are well placed to capture maximum value from this innovation, whilst also not exposing their populations to undue risks. This edition of The Mobile Century includes an insightful essay by CMS Partner and Co-Head of the TMC Sector Group, Dóra Petrányi on finding the appropriate balance between AI ethics and AI regulation. It also includes an inspiring fireside chat between Dóra and Francesca Rossi, who is a computer scientist, an IBM Fellow and the IBM Global AI Ethics Leader.
At the same time, society is facing other new challenges, as the digital natives – those who only know a digital world – see all aspects of their lives transformed. As certain jobs and even professions are being transformed by digital technology, what does the future look like for those who are inheriting our digital world? What do governments, regulators and industry itself need to do to ensure the benefits of these technologies outweigh the risks that have emerged?
Global, interdisciplinary collaboration is vital
To answer these and other questions, we need to work together across disciplines, across industry sectors, and across the public and private sectors. Digital transformation impacts data protection, IT security, contract design, liability and regulation – it is all closely intertwined. New regulations such as the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the Digital Services Act (DSA), and the EU Data Package (European Data Governance Act and Data Act) are fundamentally changing the regulatory framework governing digital services. Innovative business models and the use of new technologies confront companies with completely novel legal challenges and many unresolved issues remain around the legally defensible
implementation of digitisation strategies. We believe that interdisciplinary collaboration of our specialists is key to successfully managing these challenges.
Helping our clients navigate the digital world
There are over 1,000 Technology, Media and Communications (TMC) sector specialist lawyers at CMS in over 40 countries. In this edition of The Mobile Century we highlight some of our partners’ incredible work to help our clients gain the most value from digital transformation.
CMS partner and Co-Head of the TMC Sector Group, Dóra Petrányi believes that a strong ethical framework is key to establishing responsible AI governance, while maintaining a competitive approach across corporations and jurisdictions. As co-chair of the Hungarian AI Coalition’s Regulatory & Ethics Committee, she has played an active role in preparing Hungary’s official standpoint regarding draft AI regulations and contributes to the initiatives of the Coalition on a pro bono basis. The Coalition benefits from a truly global approach and comprises over 2,000 members from state agencies, leading IT businesses and universities. They are tasked with balancing the development of AI in an ethical manner while maintaining a competitive market. To further promote inclusivity and knowledge sharing around the impacts and utility of AI, Dóra has also been instrumental in establishing the Women in AI Initiative, which provides a regular forum, hosted by CMS, for women and men to discuss topics around AI, and raise awareness about its potential on a global scale.
María González Gordon is the Co-Managing Partner and heads up the Intellectual Property, Industrial Property and Digital Business department at CMS Albiñana & Suárez de Lezo. She specialises in advising domestic and international companies on intellectual property, industrial property, copyright and technology, particularly in litigation and dispute resolution. Moreover, she is well versed in the drafting, negotiation and termination of a wide range of IP/IT agreements (licences, trademarks, designs, software, outsourcing, distribution agreements, transfers, assignments, etc.), not to mention her expertise in advising on technology, digital transformation and data analytics in sectors such as insurtech, fintech, energy, health and wellbeing and real estate, among others. Maria is an expert in digital media regulation and shares her insights about the impact of the new EU regulation of digital media and services and what this will mean for the future of the digital tech sector in Europe and beyond.
Eva Talmacsi has written a thought-provoking essay on the sustainability of data centres and their environmental impact. She is a UK, US and Hungarian qualified partner based in London and focuses her international practice on a broad range of M&A and corporate finance matters in Central & Eastern Europe and the UK. She advises clients including private equity and venture capital funds, corporates, financial institutions, investment banks and energy companies.
CMS also uses its extensive expertise in all areas of digital technology to help our clients start and scale-up their business. Building a successful business takes more than a good idea, it takes a lot of energy and determination plus the right opportunities and the right people. As an early-stage business, legal advice may be pushed to the bottom of the priority list, not least due to the issue of cost. However, for a business to scale successfully, especially when investors are involved, having the right foundations is imperative. The CMS equIP program supports start-ups who are intellectual property rich and connects them with legal experts and advisors who can provide the tools which are essential for start-ups to succeed.
Helping the GTWN create value
At CMS, we continue to be honoured to support the GTWN and its flagship magazine The Mobile Century, which, once again, is dense with thought-provoking articles from inspiring leaders. We hope the articles motivate you, as they do us, to think about our responsibilities and the wider impact of our companies on the world around us.
Dóra Petranyi is a partner and CEE Managing Director at CMS and Co-Head of the Technology, Media and Communications Group (TMC). She also heads the TMC, Data Protection and Intellectual property (IP) practices, and is a partner in the Competition practice in the Budapest office. She is expert in all three sectors of TMC (Technology, Media and Communications), with a special focus on communications, media and all types of regulatory matters, having been general counsel for the largest telecommunications provider in the region.
Her major clients are TMT and pharma companies, foreign-owned commercial banks, and major joint ventures. Her areas of specialisation include AI, digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, data protection, GDPR, competition law, IP law, general commercial contracts, corporate restructuring and M&A. She has established and leads a managed services delivery centre from Budapest. As part of this project, a team including UK, German, US, and PRC lawyers provided support to a company, undertaking and managing its procurement support on a global scale. In addition, she has in- depth experience managing and coordinating multi-jurisdictional projects in over 20 countries.
Dóra is the Co-Chairman of the Regulatory & Ethics Committee of the Hungarian AI Coalition. She is also a member of the Digital Civil Code Review Working Group, being the only outside counsel in the team. She is the first and only lawyer to be a member of the co-regulatory committee between the local telecommunications’ regulatory authority and the Association of Hungarian Content Providers. Dóra is a member of the International Board at Global Telecom Women’s Network (GTWN). She is also a member of the Board of Directors of UNICEF Hungary. Dóra is the co-author of several sector-specific publications and is a regular speaker at key international conferences, including the World Economic Forum (Davos), the Mobile World Congress and ECTA.
For more information about CMS, visit www.cms.law or contact [email protected].
