The Chancellor of the Exchequer’s statements of intent on a digital service tax and competition law reforms reinforce other recent indications that the UK government is looking seriously at making significant changes to the way it approaches online platforms and the so called “tech giants”. Brexit will potentially allow the UK to create its own strategy for the sector without necessarily needing to reach agreement with, or wait for, other European countries. Philip Hammond’s remarks at the Conservative Party conference come on top of the clearest statement yet, from Jeremy
Mark Jones
Is the UK’s post-Brexit approach to platforms and the digital sector starting to emerge?
M&A Trends: Convergence or Consolidation in TMT?
2015 has seen a significant increase in M&A activity in the technology and telecom industries, driven by demand for the latest technology and the fastest internet connectivity. The highest numbers of M&A deals to date have been in the technology space, and together with telecom deals, their value reaches around $450 billion for this half year. These deals, whether public or private, do not come without risk, particularly in the antitrust and regulatory sphere. Antitrust investigations, initiated by the authorities and competitors that have lost out in the M&A scramble,