Alasdair Taylor

Alasdair’s clients are involved in experimental and artistic AI projects, the training, testing and validation of commercial AI models, the design and development of AI-powered applications, the provision of deliverables created using AI, and the purchase of AI systems for use in their own businesses.

• Advised a prestigious UK gallery on the application of intellectual property law to an artistic project involving the training of a set of AI models, the establishment of a data intermediary, and a web of IP licensing arrangements.
• Prepared standard contract documentation for a UK/EU supplier of IoT devices and services incorporating AI analysis tools.
• Assisted a pioneering reg-tech business in concluding a SaaS contract covering the provision of AI-powered services to major financial institutions.
• Advised an innovative London-based creative agency on the use of AI workflows, handling customer concerns around AI, and contract terms for AI-backed services.
• Drafted new terms and conditions for a leading UK software development house, covering the provision of customer materials to AI tool providers and the licensing of AI code outputs, and allocating risk and liabilities between the parties.
• Advised a UK-based digital asset management system provider on the incorporation of AI-based facial recognition technology into its products.
• Advised on the incorporation of ChatGPT AI assistant into the services provided by a mobile app.

Alasdair advises on the legal structuring of complex technology services, including system design, GDPR-compliant architecture, global SaaS agreements, licensing, partner frameworks, and responses to public and private tenders.

• Provided both strategic and day-to-day advice and support to a highly successful SaaS business offering solutions to national and international hospitality businesses, including and helping the business to conclude dozens of key customer contracts, advising on contract terminations and amendments, and maintaining standard contract documentation.
• Updated the standard customer contract documentation of a market-leading provider of parcel management and labelling services, transforming a single unwieldy contract into a consistent and modular set of online documents, with a view to increasing efficiency in contracting processes, with respect to SME customers, key accounts and integration partners.
• Advised on a consulting services agreement between an expert in cryptocurrency trading strategies and a Swiss investment boutique.
• Created a full suite of trading T&Cs for a VC-backed provider of data extraction, transformation, and visualisation services, including subscription terms, PoC terms, an acceptable use policy, an SLA, a data processing addendum, a reseller agreement, a referral partners agreement, and a professional services agreement.
• Drafted and negotiated a source code licence agreement on behalf of a developer of ecommerce software that was seeking to exit a long-standing customer relationship.
• Advised a Swiss government agency in relation to tenders for, and contracts with, suppliers of software and related services.
• Created T&Cs for a free-to-use API offered to the non-profit sector.
• Drafted a digitisation services agreement for a data capture business operating in the education sector.
• Advised and negotiated a high-value introduction and commission agreement for a managed services provider.
• Rewrote a software development services agreement for a small development agency.
• Negotiated, on behalf of technology vendors, dozens of SaaS and software services contracts with customer legal teams, both in house and external; also advised on numerous contract variations and terminations relating to technology contracts.

Alasdair provides legal guidance on the design, operation, and commercialisation of websites, ecommerce platforms, and apps, covering user flows, development agreements, platform terms, app distribution, and online trading policies.

• Advised a UK hotel chain on the refresh of its online customer terms and conditions, as well as online contracting processes.
• Prepared standard terms of service and related documents, including template website documents to be used by end customers, for an international website-as-a-service provider.
• Advised on the application of the ecommerce laws, including the platform-to-business (P2B) regulation, to an established platform that brings together trade professionals and consumers.
• Advised an international pharmaceutical distribution businesses on its website legal documentation, with associated data protection advice.
• Created and maintained templates for a wide range of websites and apps, including video games, subscription services, PAYG services, marketplaces, news services, social networks, review sites, and directories.

Alasdair supports clients in navigating data protection, privacy, and confidentiality challenges, advising on international data transfers, GDPR compliance, data sharing arrangements, breach management, and robust privacy and impact documentation.

• Drafted and maintained a multi-level privacy notice and data processing agreement for an innovative VC-backed SaaS provider.
• Advised on and updating a global privacy notice used by a world-leading provider of software and services for barcode management.
• Advised the provider of an expert system-based legal advice service on the classification, under the GDPR, of complex data processing operations involving a range of actors, and preparing explanatory materials for the client’s customers, along with relevant contract clauses.
• Advised on a tech subsidiary of one of the UK’s best-known brands on the application of the GDPR to its data sharing ecosystem.
• Advised a platform provider on a serious data breach involving information that was highly confidential to one of the world’s largest and wealthiest companies.
• Provided training to a UK barristers’ chambers on the application of the GDPR to their operations and drafting appropriate policy documentation.
• Created and maintained a set of data protection-related templates, including privacy policies, data processing agreements, data sharing agreements, data protection policies, data retention policies, and data breach response policies.

In addition to his technology clients, Alasdair works with a small number of artistic and cultural institutions, helping to create and maintain contract documentation for artist, exhibitor, contributor and publisher relationships, as well as providing ad hoc advice on copyright, data protection, and contract law issues.

• Assisted a major UK gallery with a range of different contractual and legal matters including drafting principal artist contracts and contributor agreements, and publishing contracts.
• Advised a historic UK archive on the licensing of its extensive catalogue and updated its terms and conditions and privacy documentation.
• Advised a new cultural centre, based in London, on its contracts with exhibiting artists.

Alasdair advises charities and not-for-profit organisations on AI, software and general IT law, data protection, ecommerce, intellectual property rights, consumer protection, and contract law.

• Advised a London-based lawyers’ organisation on data protection compliance, preparing a new internal data protection policy and members’ privacy notice.
• Advised a major UK charity on data protection and cookies law compliance, including drafting a new policy document for the charity.
• Assisted a UK academic institution with its technology supply contracts.

Alasdair advises clients in the retail sector on AI, software and general IT law, data protection, ecommerce, intellectual property rights, consumer protection, and contract law.

• Assisted a globally recognised UK fashion brand’s in-house legal team with the update of a suite of contract documentation relating to online sales and associated services.
• Advised a bricks-and-clicks antiques business on legal compliance, preparing standard documentation covering online sales.
• Drafted and maintained standard legal documents for one of the UK’s leading battery supply websites, including terms of use, terms of sale, a delivery policy, a returns policy and a privacy policy.
• Created terms of service, a seller agreement and a privacy notice for a new UK-based services marketplace website.

Alasdair advises clients in the telecoms and technology sector on AI, software and general IT law, data protection, ecommerce, intellectual property rights, consumer protection, and contract law.

• Created and maintained a suite of customer contract documents and related policies and procedures for a leading provider of OTT services and related services in the call centre space.
• Created a new set of customer contracts for an award-winning provider of cyber security services. These contracts needed to be flexible enough to deal with constantly evolving system functionality and regular changes to the business model, whilst addressing the risks of cyber security liabilities being passed to the provider and also minimising contracting friction.
• Assisted a creative technology studio to successfully conclude a contract for AI-powered services with a global fashion brand.
• Assisted a leading facilities management SaaS provider with its responses an NHS tender and helped to bring the subsequent contract negotiations to a successful conclusion.
• Drafted and negotiated a reseller agreement between the client, the provider of an add-on to a market-leading support services infrastructure platform, and the platform provider itself.
• Drafted podcast production and co-production agreements.
• Advised a client providing innovative data routing and processing services on the production of contract documents for, and the minimisation of risk in relation to, the offering of its software via the Salesforce AppExchange and the ServiceNow Store.
• Prepared a framework intra-group data sharing and data processing agreement for a technology services provider that needed to share data freely between its UK and US operations.

Member of the Society for Computers & Law