DLA Piper (Canada) LLP is pleased to announce that Ryan Black has joined the firm as Partner in the Vancouver office. Ryan practises technology-related corporate law, with a particular focus on internet technologies, ecommerce, video games and esports.
Ryan combines his expertise in intellectual property and technology law with a strong background in corporate/commercial law and mergers and acquisitions, having acted in some of British Columbia’s largest technology transactions. His services include advising on mergers and acquisitions, technology outsourcing, venture capital funding, high-technology employment, game publishing, commercial contracting, and licensing. As a former software and Internet developer, Ryan has a unique insight to emerging technology matters important to today's businesses, such as cybersecurity, blockchain technologies, open source software, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and social media.
Ryan is a frequent speaker and presenter on a wide variety of legal matters including Canada's Anti-Spam Law (CASL), video games, privacy and cybersecurity, and technology law, and also is the co-author of "Internet Law Essentials: Canada's Anti-Spam Law" published by Specialty Technical Publishers, among numerous other publications. Ryan’s past speaking engagements include PAX West, PAX Dev, Game Developers’ Conference, the Video Game Bar Association, the Esports Bar Association, and the Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia. In 2017, Ryan was named one of Canada's leading lawyers under 40 at the Lexpert Rising Stars Awards, in 2018 as an Acritas Star and in 2019 as a Best Lawyer in Canada for Information Technology. In addition to his practice, he is an Adjunct Professor for the Business Law Clinic at UBC’s Peter A. Allard School of Law, as well as a member of the board of directors for the Video Game Bar Association, the Canadian Internet Registration Authority and the Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society, responsible for the annual Honda Celebration of Light.
Prior to joining DLA Piper, Ryan was a member of the Technology, Intellectual Property and Privacy group at a national Canadian business law firm, where he also Co-Chaired the Video Games and Esports practice and served as its Chief Technology Partner. “I greatly look forward to contributing to the DLA Piper platform in Vancouver, across Canada and globally. The internet knows no borders, and I’m excited to help build an ambitious, modern tech law practice at a firm so international in reach,” said Black.
“Ryan is an important addition to our Vancouver office,” said Robert Seidel, Q.C., Canada Managing Partner. “His background and deep industry knowledge in the game-changing technology sector, as well as his demonstrated commitment to excellence across multiple areas of law, will add tremendous value to our capabilities on numerous fronts.”