Matthew J. Bacal
Advises on a wide range of IP, tech, media, sports and data privacy matters. Corporate lead for our Data Privacy & Cybersecurity practice.
Matt advises clients on IP, technology, media and data privacy issues arising in their operations and strategic transactions such as M&A activities, JVs, licensing, outsourcing and supply agreements, financings, restructurings and capital markets offerings. He is also the corporate lead for our cross-disciplinary Data Privacy & Cybersecurity practice.
Matt has extensive experience structuring, negotiating and drafting complex commercial arrangements across a range of industries, including with respect to media and sports rights, content distribution, data use and monetization, cloud services, branding, sponsorship, hardware, software and other technologies. He frequently counsels clients on matters of copyright and data privacy law relating to the design and commercialization of products and services, including issues arising in the development and use of generative AI.
In his pro bono practice, Matt provides IP and commercial advice to a variety of arts and education-focused nonprofits.
Experience highlights
- Comcast on a wide array of commercial transactions, including:
- Comcast’s acquisitions of NBCUniversal and Sky, and NBCUniversal’s acquisition of DreamWorks Animation
- The creation and operation of various technology development joint ventures, including JVs with partners such as Verizon, Charter, Liberty Global and Arris
- The negotiation of licensing, development, supply and other strategic commercial transactions with various cable industry technology suppliers, including Arris, Broadcom, Cisco, Intel, LG, Motorola, Samsung, Synamedia, Technicolor, TiVo and many others
- The negotiation of various complex software-as-a-service (SaaS) and platform-as-a-service (PaaS) arrangements between Comcast and other MSOs in the United States and Canada
- The setting up of regional sports networks and the negotiation of media rights agreements between Comcast’s RSNs and various NBA and MLB franchises, as well as advising the Golf Channel, Versus, G4 and E!, among others, in connection with various programming matters
- Comcast and NBCUniversal on a range of advisory matters relating to contract interpretation, copyright law, and related disputes, including providing regular advice to Comcast’s legal and product teams in connection with product design and developments in digital content distribution technologies, and counseling Comcast in connection with NBCUniversal’s copyright infringement actions against FilmOn and Aereo (the latter of which was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court)
- The owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers in connection with the formation and operation of a new regional sports network and related commercial arrangements with Time Warner Cable, Charter and AT&T; the Los Angeles Dodgers in connection with joint ventures and other commercial transactions relating to the sale of Dodgers tickets in the secondary market
- The owners of a basketball club in connection with their dealings with the NBA and certain NBA franchises
- Baker Hughes on a wide array of commercial arrangements, including those relating to its separation from General Electric
- Reliance Industries Limited on investments by Facebook and Google into Jio Platforms, and related commercial arrangements
- Tory Burch in connection with various IP licensing arrangements
- Circle Internet Financial on a variety of crypto-related data licensing arrangements
Insights
News
Education
- Carroll G. Harper Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Intellectual Property Studies
- Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar
- magna cum laude
Professional history
- Partner, 2021-present
- Counsel, 2013-2021
- Davis Polk since 2005
Qualifications and admissions
- State of New York