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Portrait ofClive Gringras

Clive Gringras

Partner
Head of TMT

CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP
Cannon Place
78 Cannon Street
London
EC4N 6AF
United Kingdom
Languages English

Clive is an international-facing contentious and transactional technology lawyer working with Global 100 companies. Clive is trusted by these companies on high-stake matters ranging from first‑of‑a‑kind litigation to billion dollar technology-rich cross-border transactions. He is particularly experienced representing very large tech companies in regulatory investigations and litigation. He has also acted for businesses on hundreds of internet threats actions including spam, phishing, tech support fraud, and business email compromise.

Clive is rated as providing fast, pragmatic advice with a good UI. He is the only lawyer ever to receive Microsoft’s Law Firm Leader award. He is also a well-respected commentator: his book, Gringras: The Laws of the Internet, now in sixth edition, is the only UK judicially-acclaimed text on the subject. He is on the Editorial Board of Westlaw’s Computer & Telecommunications Law Review. Clive co-wrote the best-selling computer game, Elite, for the ARM-based computer, the Archimedes.

Clive has been called to give evidence to four UK Parliamentary Inquiries on spam, information security, AI and regulation of the Internet. He is a visiting Scholar at the University of Sheffield and has held appointments as a Visiting Professor at the University of Law, and as a Visiting Associate at Oxford University’s Internet Institute.

  • One of only seven lawyers in Legal 500’s Hall of Fame for Technology, Media and Telecoms (2024). 
  • One of only twelve lawyers in Chambers Global Market Leaders in Artificial Intelligence. (2024)
  • Best Lawyers awarded Clive, its Technology Lawyer of the Year for 2021 in London and he is one of their ten London IT & Tech Best Lawyers (2024).
  • Euromoney’s Expert Guides counts Clive as one of its five UK Best of the Best UK IT lawyers.
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"Clive Gringras has been just phenomenal for us."

Chambers & Partners, 2022

"Clive Gringras is a very good technology practitioner."

Chambers & Partners, 2022

"Clive Gringras stands out for his depth of expertise in contentious and transactional matters involving technology clients, including Fortune 100 companies and US tech giants."

Legal 500, 2021

"Great at contentious work. He understands our business as if he's part of it; incredibly astute and able to help us see what's coming on the horizon."

Chambers, 2020

"Clive Gringras is hailed as a “star lawyer” with a great reputation in the market for the first-rate counsel he delivers to companies on litigation and technology transactions."

Who’s Who Legal Global 2020

Clive Gringras frequently works with social media and gaming companies concerning regulatory investigations and contractual terms. Clients say: "He is fiendishly clever, extremely innovative and robust in every way.”

Chambers UK 2018

Clive Gringras advises on commercial agreements of all stripes and is also recommended as a "very good tech and IP litigator."

Chambers UK 2018

Clive Gringras leads the firm's technology team and has magisterial knowledge of digital media. He acts for giants and dynamic 'disrupters' in the gaming, technology and social media sectors.

Chambers UK 2017

Clive Gringras has "a great depth of knowledge and experience, and offers concrete, practical advice and creative problem solving," say clients. He offers expertise in both IT litigation and transactional matters, with additional expertise in global data protection issues.

Chambers UK 2016

"Clive Gringras is a consummate technology lawyer, advising leading software, online marketplace and social media companies on all manner of commercial, regulatory and data privacy matters."

Chambers UK, 2019

Clients recommend Clive Gringras for his "razor-sharp strategic thinking and encyclopaedic knowledge of the industry." He works on both transactional and contentious matters for major international clients.

Chambers UK 2015

"Clive Gringras leads the firm's technology, media and communications group and advises software, e-commerce and social media giants on all facets of internet law. Sources say: "He has a massive reputation."

Chambers UK, 2019

Relevant experience

  • Microsoft on its $2.8bn cloud transaction with the London Stock Exchange Group.
  • Numerous intellectual property actions for Microsoft including its copyright levy litigation throughout Europe and copyright and trade mark infringement cases against Amcor, Discount‑Licensing, ValueLicensing and Software Giants.
  • Hundreds of cybercrime actions for major technology companies.
  • A global social media company on its response to an investigation by the European Union’s Consumer Protection Cooperation Network.
  • A major technology company on the Competitions and Markets Authority’s investigation into its consumer business.
  • Microsoft on the Competition and Markets Authority’s investigation into its Xbox business.
  • A major real estate company on the Competition and Markets Authority’s investigation into the leasehold market.
  • A global financial services company on its response to an investigation by the European Union’s Consumer Protection Cooperation Network.
  • A number of online gaming companies on their disputes with the Competition and Markets Authority.
  • Viagogo on its dispute with the Competition and Markets Authority.
  • One of the top three cloud companies on its dispute with the Competition and Markets Authority.
  • A major advertising network on its dispute with the Competition and Markets Authority.
  • Skype on its front-page litigation with its founders and then acted for eBay on the UK aspects of its sale of a major stake in Skype to Silver Lake.
  • eBay on defending it in UK High Court litigation brought by L’Oreal.
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Memberships & Roles

  • Chair of Technology Advisory Board, Our Future Health
  • Trustee, Alzheimer's Research UK
  • Founding Editorial Board Member, Computer and Telecommunications Law Review, Sweet & Maxwell
  • Visiting Scholar, University of Sheffield
  • Visiting Professor, University of Law (Former)
  • Visiting Associate, Oxford University’s Internet Institute (Former)
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Publications

  • Gringras: The Laws of the Internet. (Butterworths/LexisNexis/Bloomsbury) (all six editions, 1997-2021)
  • There is nothing new under the Sun, or in the Cloud, European Intellectual Property Review
  • To be Great is to be Misunderstood: The Computer Misuse Act 1990, Computer and Telecommunications Law Review, Westlaw
  • The validity of shrink-wrap licences, International Journal of Law and Information, Oxford University Press
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Lectures list

  • “Don’t shoot the {digital} messenger” – Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford
  • “Technology Law” – University of Law
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Education

  • Magister Juris, St John’s College, Oxford University
  • LLB (Hons), University of Sheffield
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Feed

02/01/2024
From Retained EU Law to Assimilated Law: A new perspective this New Year
As we enter the New Year, the legal landscape of the United Kingdom is undergoing a significant transformation. The UK domestic law that originated from EU obligations, known as “retained EU law”...
22/12/2023
High Court dismisses summary judgment application in Getty Images v Stability...
The High Court has recently handed down judgment on Stability AI’s application for reverse summary judgment and strike out in the high-profile Getty Images v Stability AI litigation. Earlier this year...
29/09/2023
The subscription economy
The global subscription economy is one of the great success stories of the past decade. By the end of 2021, it was estimated to be worth $650bn, with a projected value of $1.5tn by 2025. Thanks to businesses such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, media streaming may be the most high-profile example of the subscription model. Retail is another sector where subscriptions are prominent. According to  Zuora and Deloitte Digital, 37% of consumers worldwide have at least one active retail subscription – a figure expected to reach 53% by 2025. But the subscription model is gaining ground in most consumer sectors, from automotive through health and personal care to travel. It is also well established in the B2B arena, notably through SaaS (software as a service).
25/04/2023
Consumer regulator given 10% fining powers under new consumer law Bill
10% fining powers confirmed in newly unveiled consumer law Bill:Highly-an­ti­cip­ated proposals for new consumer laws have today (25 April 2023) been published in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers...
25/04/2023
CMS’ interactive Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer law regulatory...
Welcome to CMS’ interactive Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer law regulatory hub. Here you will find all of the resources you need on the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill and the UK’s regulatory landscape following the Government publication of its long-awaited Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill.
30/03/2023
Dark patterns remain firmly under the regulator’s spotlight
This week the Competition and Markets Authority (the “CMA”) has continued to shine a light on dark patterns, publishing an open letter for online businesses regarding urgency and price reduction claims...
13/03/2023
Getting Brexit Done? The UK Retained EU Law and what it means for UK companies
If the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill is passed in its current form, nearly 50 years of EU-derived rules and regulations that had become part of the fabric of UK law across a wide range...
20/04/2022
New consumer protection law announced
Following the Government’s 2021 Consultation Paper on potential new consumer protection reforms (which we discussed in a previous article), the Government has, on 20 April 2022, announced significant...
26/01/2022
CMS partner appointed to Technology Advisory Board of UK’s largest health...
CMS partner and Head of Technology, Media and Tele­com­mu­nic­a­tions at CMS, Clive Gringras, has been appointed to the Technology Advisory Board of Our Future Health, the UK’s largest health research pro­gramme. Our...
16/12/2021
CMS named Top Performing Law Firm for Diversity by key client Microsoft
CMS is proud to be a key advisor to Microsoft and to have been recognised as the Top Performer in the technology company’s second annual UK Law Firm Diversity Programme (“LFDP”) 2021. Mi­crosoft’s...
07/07/2021
Being open about data
Covid-19 has put data in the spotlight more than ever. Without the widespread use of data and data ana­lys­is, com­bined with the proliferation of data shar­ing, man­age­ment of the pandemic would have...
24/06/2021
What’s next for non-personal data protections? A legal primer (open data...
The fair trade between society and creators of intellectual property Most intellectual property laws justify the strong monopolistic powers they vest in creators by simultaneously granting free rights...