Awards & Rankings 10.05.23
The Legal 500 UK 2024 Edition Recognizes Multiple Pillsbury Lawyers and Practices
Source: The Legal 500 UK
Working closely with a bilingual team of lawyers, I bring more than 13 years’ experience in the Middle East market, powerfully advocating for clients in the region’s telecom, technology, media and sports sectors.
Pillsbury Corporate partner Osama Abu-Dehays is known throughout the Middle East and North Africa for his commercial, technology, media and telecommunications law experience.
Based in London, Osama represents broadcasters, football leagues and telecom/technology providers. He crafts licensing deals, litigates intellectual property disputes, and advises on regulatory and corporate matters. Osama has drafted media and sports regulations, and has advised on numerous high-profile, politically sensitive civil and criminal cases. Before joining Pillsbury, he was a partner with a large UK law firm and worked as chief legal officer at Al Jazeera network and other major media groups.
Representative Experience
- Advised the UAE’s main professional soccer league in licensing its television rights, including the preparation and tender of all sponsorship and licensing rights associated with the league’s matches and images.
- Represented Mohammed Zaidan, a top-tier professional soccer player, in his successful $4 million lawsuit against his club.
- Advised on one of the largest technology acquisitions in the Middle East and counseled various funds on Middle Eastern acquisitions in the hospitality, food and beverage, and technology sectors.
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- Working on a Broadcasting and Telecommunication law draft for the State of Qatar.
- Reviewing the regulations governing broadcasting and online media in two different jurisdictions.
- Working with a number of telecom providers for the obtaining of mobile content from various sports content providers.
- Advising a number of online media providers on their privacy policy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
- Advising a major technology provider on its setup and on regulatory limitations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
- Carrying out a full due diligence of the current copyright and content policy for more than three Channels in the MENA region.
- Advised on the setting up of Al Jazeera Mobile platform, and preparation of all documentation and policies around this platform in more than 50 jurisdictions in North America, Asia, Africa and Europe.
- Preparing the corporate and holding structure of MBC Group, and later of Al Jazeera Media Network, resulting in a holding structure of over 89 news bureaus, and 20-plus subsidiaries.
- Working on one of the region’s largest broadcasting acquisitions, including advising on all corporate matters and management of share structure, financial matrix, and taxation, employment and tender policies.
Professional Highlights
- Frequently speaks at conferences and events, including the Symposium on Media Law in India and IBC Legal Leaders Middle East, on media and sports law topics.
- Worked on drafting numerous legislation instruments in the State of Qatar, including the newly enacted “Sports Club Regulation Law,” the “Law Regulating Media Activities” and the “Flag and Emblem” regulation.
- Authored “Social Media & the Lawyer – Where to Draw the Line?” an article published in The Oath magazine in December 2014.
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Associations
- International Bar Association, 2007
- Young International Arbitration Group
- International Media Committee
- Jordanian Bar Association
Education
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Postgraduate Degree, Intellectual Property Law, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
LL.B., University of Kent
B. Comm., Concordia International University
Admissions
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England and Wales (Registered Foreign Lawyer)
Jordan
Languages
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French
English
Arabic