Kieran Dickinson is counsel in the Washington, D.C. office of Latham & Watkins and a member of the firm’s Data & Technology Transactions Practice.
Kieran advises clients on structuring and negotiating strategic technology transactions, patent licensing, intellectual property (IP) litigation, and counseling, and complex M&A and finance issues. His experience includes the following:
Strategic Technology Transactions
Structures and negotiates high-end strategic technology transactions and outsourcing agreements, including patent, know-how, software, and trademark licenses; strategic alliances and collaborations; e-commerce platform agreements; SaaS agreements; information technology outsourcing transactions; business process outsourcing transactions; facilities management and warehouse outsourcing transactions; medical device licensing and sales agreements; manufacturing and supply agreements; development agreements; university licenses; consulting agreements; and other commercial agreements, including in the blockchain space
Patent Licensing, IP Litigation, and IP Counseling
Advises on patent licensing issues, and negotiates, dozens of licenses settling patent disputes and litigation in high-profile cases
Advises on strategic acquisitions of patents and patent portfolios and negotiates purchases
Advises on high-value trademark licenses and disputes
Authored published articles on patent privateering and standing, covenants not to sue, and licensing
Advises on open source software issues, including writing open source software policies and advising on compliance with open source software licenses
Mergers & Acquisitions/Finance
Advises on intellectual property issues in hundreds of M&A transactions
Significant experience in complex cross-border carve-out transactions
Carve-out work includes evaluating of IP portfolios, disputes, and licenses, handling IP issues in purchase agreements, and negotiating cross-license agreements, transition agreements, supply agreements, facilities agreements, and other commercial agreements
Advises on IP issues in scores of corporate financings and initial public offerings
Experience
Kieran's representative client experience includes advising:
LG Chem on SK patent and know-how license for electric vehicle battery patents and technology
A leading apparel retailer in strategic, eight-figure licensing, and e-commerce platform hosting and operating agreement
A technology startup on strategic partnership with Colgate Palmolive for licensing of key technology
A leading telemedicine startup on strategic licensing and commercialization transaction with a large hospital system
A Big 4 accounting firm with drafting a global open source software policy, and an open source committee on tough cases
An Israeli cybersecurity software company on open source software issues
Technology startups on patent licenses with MIT and other universities and research foundations
A US government contractor on strategic reseller agreements with leading Asian electronics companies and European telecommunications company
A semiconductor manufacturing business in its strategic licensing agreement to settle patent litigation with TSMC
Starbucks Coffee in a strategic alliance with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, which allows Starbucks to become the exclusive licensed premium coffee brand for use in GMCR’s Keurig brewing system
Private equity firms on a host of information technology outsourcing and other commercial agreements in connection with stand-up of newly acquired companies spun off from parents
A technology startup on strategic patent and trade secret licenses with Asian developer-manufacturers
An embassy of foreign government on a series of commercial agreements
A computer networking company on strategic patent license agreement
A multinational technology company on strategic patent license agreement
A medical device company on several information technology and logistics outsourcing agreements
A software development startup on a series of SaaS agreements
An Indian software company on the spin-out of a division and related licensing and open source issues
A biotechnology company in patent license agreement covering a gene editing system
General Electric on a series of trademark licenses
Allison Transmission in a strategic alliance with Torotrak, under which Allison licenses Torotrak gearless traction drive technology and the parties collaborate on developing the technology for use in commercial vehicles, and in subsequent purchase of Torotrak patent portfolio
A private equity firm in outsourcing applications development services and other information technology services
A pharmaceutical company in outsourcing clinical trial management and statistical analysis services
An International Revenue Service in extensive information technology services outsourcing
Sirius Satellite Radio in its acquisition of commercial satellites and launches from Space Systems/Loral and ILS International Launch Services, respectively
ViaSat in its acquisition of a next-generation communications satellite from Space Systems/Loral
Ciena with regard to intellectual property issues and cross-license arising in its acquisition of Nortel’s Metro Ethernet Networks business for US$769 million
The Carlyle Group with regard to:
Intellectual property issues and commercial agreements arising in the purchase of DuPont’s Performance Coatings business for US$4.9 billion
The acquisition of Ortho Clinical Diagnostics from Johnson & Johnson for US$4.1 billion
The Gores Group with respect to intellectual property, commercial, and transition issues and agreements in connection with Gores’ acquisition of Harris Broadcast Communications
The Carlyle Group and Onex Corporation with regard to intellectual property and transition issues arising in the purchase of Allison Transmission from General Motors for US$5.75 billion
The Carlyle Group and portfolio companies with respect to intellectual property issues in connection with numerous mergers and acquisitions, including: the US$3.8 billion purchase of NBTY, Inc.; the sale of Vought Aircraft’s 787 aircraft business to Boeing; the US$2.65 billion merger of Vought Aircraft and Triumph; the acquisition of Primatics Financial; the sale of Wall Street Institute’s China business and subsequent sale of Wall Street Institute to Pearson; the purchase and subsequent sale for US$1 billion of Philosophy, Inc.; the acquisition of Authentix; the purchase and subsequent sale of Compusearch Software Systems; the merger of MultiPlan and Viant
Onex Partners and the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board on intellectual property issues in connection with their US$5 billion acquisition of Tomkins
Qualifications
Bar Qualification
District of Columbia
Virginia
Education
JD, Stanford Law School, 1999
BA, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1993
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