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Among the first firms to practice commercial space law, Pillsbury continues to innovate, advising established and emerging companies on all aspects of commercial satellite and space law and regulation.
Pillsbury Communications lawyers help commercial space clients get what they need to build, launch, operate finance and expand their businesses. Renowned for our creative and strategic work in satellite licensing, we have obtained dozens of orbital concessions and have advised clients in more than $1 billion in transactions related to complex coordination agreements and sales of orbital rights. Pillsbury lawyers assist satellite industry clients with debt and equity financings, joint ventures, procurement of satellites, launch services and teleports, and routine commercial agreements. Our Satellite team also includes leading lawyers in satellite technology export matters.
Our Satellite lawyers guide clients through the process of obtaining governmental approval for new technologies and satellite systems, help them to protect their intellectual property, raise financing, build, launch, operate and insure their systems, and establish important partnerships and alliances.
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Our extensive satellite-related experience includes:
Licensing and Regulatory
We help satellite communications and Earth-imaging clients obtain satellite and earth station licenses from U.S. agencies and administrations around the world. Our team assists many clients, including one of the world’s largest satellite operators, with export control matters. We also assist clients in complex spectrum allocation proceedings and have helped several clients obtain groundbreaking rights relating to satellite spectrum use.
Satellite Finance
Leveraging our deep experience with the unique risk profiles of commercial space enterprises, we help emerging and established satellite industry clients obtain equity and debt financing, refinance debt and, when necessary, restructure debt. We advise satellite service providers and investors in equity transactions, joint ventures, stock offerings, and high-yield and other multilayered note transactions and workouts. We also assist lenders with due diligence when they provide financing to satellite operators.
System and Launch Procurement
Our Satellite team lawyers represent satellite operators and prospective operators in procurement of satellites and launch services. We also help clients negotiate agreements with suppliers of ground segment components, including earth stations, network operations systems and facilities, TT&C components and systems, and system integrators.
Commercial Agreements
We assist clients with routine and exceptional commercial agreements. In addition to representing both buyers and sellers in transponder and capacity leases and sales, we have helped clients negotiate agreements relating to TT&C services, orbital slot sharing and acquisition, call center construction and call center outsourcing, colocation and interconnection. We also help DTH operators obtain high-value programming in complex program rights negotiations.
Export Control and International Trade
Our Satellite team advises a significant number of satellite service providers on export control issues from the initial phase of identifying potential satellite manufacturers, launch providers and operators to ongoing operations. Our work includes counseling, regulatory compliance and enforcement, transactions, litigation and arbitration.
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