MTS and Dentons create unique system for identifying and assessing IP legal risks
Press release
July 2019 – Dentons assisted MTS telecommunications company with the creation and the implementation of a unique system for identifying and assessing legal risks related to intellectual property.
The project required extensive work on analyzing and preparing changes to MTS’ business processes which could be impacted by IP-related risks. In addition, MTS and Dentons’ team, led by partner Victor Naumov, together with specialists from ISAR, Institute for the implementation of risk management, developed an IP risk calculator to assess the extent of potential adverse consequences of legal risks and determine the likelihood of their occurrence. The calculator is a unique tool allowing to determine the degree of risk, based on various parameters input into the calculation formula. The tool’s formula takes into consideration several elements including the industry and other specifics of the business as well as case law and other legal factors. The calculator is thus a flexible tool aiding in informed decision-making that factors in legal and business risks.
The MTS project to implement an IP risk management system was highly acclaimed in the “Best legal departments of Russia-2019” competition and won an award for “Effective IP management.”
“MTS is actively diversifying its business and is operating in various areas in building its ecosystem. This is why we need up-to-date information about any potential risks to inform our decisions as much as possible,” said Ruslan Ibragimov, Member of the Management Board and Vice President for Corporate and Legal Affairs at MTS PJSC. “The project enabled us to substantially optimize internal processes and incorporate a unique tool that helps us navigate any situation easily. The orchestrated efforts of lawyers from MTS and Dentons made this possible.”
Victor Naumov, St. Petersburg office Managing Partner, Head of the Russia IP, IT and Telecommunications practice, Co-Head of Europe Internet & Tech Regulatory IP/IT, commented on the project’s outcomes: “This was one of the longest and biggest projects our practice has done in the past two years. It included a number of stages, from analyzing the business processes of one of Russia’s biggest companies in its sector, elaborating recommendations to change them and training employees in various fields, all the way to developing a unique and flexible solution that is intended to comprehensively analyze IP risks. The synergy between the MTS lawyers’ and our knowledge helped us not only do a lot of good work, but also create a radical solution to IP management at a major business. This once again confirms our skills.”
About MTS PJSC
MTS is the leading telecommunications group in Russia and the CIS. MTS provides a range of mobile and fixed-line communications-based services to satisfy today’s increasingly digital lifestyle. MTS serves over 100 million mobile subscribers in Russia, Ukraine, Armenia and Belarus, and about 9 million customers of fixed-line services, including fixed voice, broadband internet, and pay-TV in Russia. Information about the company is available at www.mts.ru.
About Dentons
Dentons is the world’s largest law firm,* delivering quality and value to clients around the globe. Dentons is a leader on the Acritas Global Elite Brand Index, a BTI Client Service 30 Award winner and recognized by prominent business and legal publications for its innovations in client service, including founding Nextlaw Labs and the Nextlaw Global Referral Network. Dentons provides legal services to international and Russian corporations, banks and other financial institutions, private equity funds, state enterprises and non-profits. www.dentons.com
* The American Lawyer 2018 – Ranking of 100 international law firms by number of lawyers (Global 100).