John Gray

Partner, Technology & Digital Economy Co-Lead and NSW Government Co-Lead

Qualifications: LLB (Hons), BA

Industries

Practices

John is a senior corporate and commercial lawyer who has specialised in technology and intellectual property law for 30 years. He is a partner in the Corporate and Commercial team at Hall & Wilcox.

John advises clients on commercial transactions and legal disputes in the fields of IT, telecommunications and media. His expertise covers all the legal issues associated with the use of technology in business and government, including licensing, privacy and data protection, copyright, branding and e-payments.

Known for his hands-on and pragmatic approach, and his ability to find solutions to legal and commercial issues, John is a seasoned practitioner in the IT market and often acts for governments and financial institutions in relation to major IT projects.

He is widely recognised for his expertise, having been ranked in The Best Lawyers in Australia every year since 2009, being named Sydney's 'Lawyer of the Year' for Information Technology Law (2021 edition) and for Outsourcing Law (2018 edition). He is also a recommended lawyer in Doyle’s Guide to the Australian Legal Profession in their 2019 list of Leading Technology, Media and Telecommunications Lawyers, and is a ranked lawyer in Chambers Asia-Pacific 2020 for TMT: Information Technology.

Experience

  • Advised Deluxe Small Business Sales, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of NYSE-listed Deluxe Corporation, on the sale of all its shares in Hostopia Australia Holding Co Pty Ltd to Newfold Digital, Inc.
  • Acting for an unlisted Australian property fund on the procurement of a major new IT system for the management of its extensive property portfolio.
  • Acting for both suppliers and consumers of non-cash payment services and related technology, including:
    • acting for a major Australian bank in relation to the procurement of the various computer systems behind the electronic payment services it offers to its merchant clients;
    • negotiating credit card, debit card and Apple Pay issuing agreements on behalf of banks and other financial institutions;
    • drafting and negotiating payment gateway services agreements for a new Australian payment services company; and
    • negotiating merchant acquiring and transaction processing agreements on behalf of a global service provider.
  • Acting for the NSW Government in numerous IT and telecommunications projects, including:
    • the negotiation of a large-scale software licensing transaction for Transport for NSW; and
    • the procurement of cloud services, computer systems and networks for the Department of Customer Service.
  • Advising Australia’s largest independent actuarial firm on intellectual property issues, including the methodologies it uses to perform data analytics and the rich data sets it owns and licenses.
  • Acting for a global insurance business on its Australian privacy obligations and in relation to transactions involving the white labelling of its insurance products.
  • On behalf of a listed healthcare solutions company, negotiating the contracts to purchase artificial intelligence technologies embedded within a pain assessment app.
  • Advising a New South Wales local council on its use of architectural concept designs for a community swimming centre, where the designs were submitted as part of a discontinued tendering process.
  • Advising a not-for-profit organisation on an agreement with the Federal Department of Human Services to provide counselling services for trauma victims, and the protection of its intellectual property rights in counselling manuals and training materials.
  • Securing trade mark protection for a dementia research foundation at the University of NSW.

Awards and recognition

The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2024
Recommended – Data protection
Chambers and Partners Asia-Pacific 2020-2024
TMT: Information Technology
Business Today
Top 10 Influential Information Technology Lawyers in Australia, 2023 Showcase
Best Lawyers in Australia 2024
Recognised – Commercial Law ('Lawyer of the Year 2024'), Corporate Law, Information Technology Law, Intellectual Property Law, Outsourcing Law, Privacy and Data Security Law and Telecommunications Law
Best Lawyers in Australia 2009-2023
Recognised – Commercial Law, Corporate Law, Information Technology Law ('Lawyer of the Year 2021'), Intellectual Property Law, Outsourcing Law ('Lawyer of the Year 2018'), Privacy & Data Security Law, Telecommunications Law
Business Today's 2023 Showcase
Top 10 Influential Information Technology Lawyers in Australia
Doyle's Guide to the Australian Legal Profession 2021
Intellectual Property and Technology, Media & Telecommunications Lawyers (New South Wales)
Doyle's Guide to the Australian Legal Profession 2020
Technology, Media & Telecommunications Lawyers (New South Wales)

Professional Membership

  • Law Society NSW
  • Communications and Media Lawyers Association (CAMLA)

Latest thinking

Trade Marks | 19 Sep 2023

Trade mark owners: use your trade mark, or risk losing it (a vital reminder)

The recent Federal Court decision in Seven Network (Operations) Limited v 7-Eleven Inc [2023] FCA 608 serves as an important reminder for Australian trade mark owners.

Related event

2024 NSW Public Sector Webinar Series

Event Details

20240227