Clive Gringras

Practice Areas

Clive is an international-facing contentious and transactional technology lawyer working with Global 100 companies. Clive is trusted by these companies on high-stake matters ranging from first‑of‑a‑kind litigation to billion dollar technology-rich cross-border transactions. He is particularly experienced representing very large tech companies in regulatory investigations and litigation. He has also acted for businesses on hundreds of internet threats actions including spam, phishing, tech support fraud, and business email compromise.

Clive is rated as providing fast, pragmatic advice with a good UI. He is the only lawyer ever to receive Microsoft’s Law Firm Leader award. He is also a well-respected commentator: his book, Gringras: The Laws of the Internet, now in sixth edition, is the only UK judicially-acclaimed text on the subject. He is on the Editorial Board of Westlaw’s Computer & Telecommunications Law Review. Clive co-wrote the best-selling computer game, Elite, for the ARM-based computer, the Archimedes.

Clive has been called to give evidence to four UK Parliamentary Inquiries on spam, information security, AI and regulation of the Internet. He is a visiting Scholar at the University of Sheffield and has held appointments as a Visiting Professor at the University of Law, and as a Visiting Associate at Oxford University’s Internet Institute.

Professional Memberships

Chair of Technology Advisory Board, Our Future Health

Trustee, Alzheimer's Research UK

Founding Editorial Board Member, Computer and Telecommunications Law Review, Sweet & Maxwell

Visiting Scholar, University of Sheffield

Visiting Professor, University of Law (Former)

Visiting Associate, Oxford University’s Internet Institute (Former)

Work Highlights

Microsoft on over $10bn of cloud transactions, including on its $2.8bn deal with the London Stock Exchange Group.

Numerous intellectual property actions for Microsoft including its copyright levy litigation throughout Europe and copyright and trade mark infringement cases against Amcor, Discount‑Licensing, ValueLicensing, Software Pro and Software Giants.

Hundreds of cybercrime actions for major technology companies.

A global social media company on an investigation by the European Union’s Consumer Protection Cooperation Network.

A major technology company on the Competition and Markets Authority’s investigation into its consumer business.

Microsoft on the Competition and Markets Authority’s investigation into its Xbox subscription business.

A major real estate company on the Competition and Markets Authority’s investigation into the leasehold market.

A global financial services company on an investigation by the European Union’s Consumer Protection Cooperation Network.

A number of online gaming companies on the Competition and Markets Authority's investigation into their business.

Viagogo on its dispute with the Competition and Markets Authority.

Microsoft on the Competition and Markets Authority's investigation into its consumer cloud offering.

A major advertising network on the Competition and Markets Authority's investigation into social media endorsements.

Skype on its litigation with its founders and then acting for eBay on the UK aspects of its sale of a major stake in Skype to Silver Lake.

eBay on defending it in UK High Court litigation brought by L’Oreal.

Education