George S. Takach is a senior partner in the firm’s Toronto office. George brings significant value to clients in their tech company M&A/financing deals, their sophisticated tech licensing, IT procurement and other tech commercial transactions, and their more challenging e-commerce activities, including projects involving privacy law, cloud computing, big data and social media.

McCarthy Tétrault is Canada’s pre-eminent firm for technology law. Since its inception in 1997, the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory has found McCarthy Tétrault to have the strongest computer and information technology law practice in Canada. In the 2017 edition of Chambers Global, McCarthy Tétrault is listed in Band 1 for Information Technology.

George’s deep experience in tech M&A/financing allows his clients to get deals done more quickly and cost effectively. Past deals where he has brought his value-added skill set to clients include:

• IPO and multiple acquisition transactions for Constellation Software Inc.;
• multiple acquisition transactions for Aastra Technologies Inc., including purchase of Telepo, and purchases from Ericsson, Nortel, EADS, DeTeWe and Ascom; merger transaction between Aastra and Mitel;
• multiple sale transactions acting for private Canadian technology companies being sold to multi-national public tech companies, including: PriceMetrix to McKinsey & Company; Intelliresponse Systems, Inc. to 24-7 Customer, Inc.; CPAS Systems to Xerox; Kobo Inc. to Rakuten Inc.; Kanetix Ltd. to Monitor Clipper Partners; Opalis Software to Microsoft; Cybermation Inc. to CA Inc.; Chantry Networks to Siemens; InSystems to Standard Register; and Jewelstone Systems to AGF;
• multiple acquisition transactions acting for Canadian, American and European acquirers of Canadian or other technology companies, including: Techwyse acquiring Spark Internet Marketing Corporation; Solidifi acquiring Linear Title & Closing Limited; Euronet Worldwide Inc. acquiring XE.com Corporation; Hitachi acquiring Ideaca; acquisition by Kobo of Aquafades; Rockwell Automation acquiring Rutter Hinz; Exact Software acquiring Longview Solutions;
• venture and related-type financings of earlier stage Canadian tech companies, including League, Inc. (OMERS Ventures; Real Ventures); Kobo Inc., Fresco Microchip (Celtic House, Ventures West); CPAS Systems (Tier Technologies); Cube Route (CIBC);
• a range of other M&A/financing transactions involving technology companies and tech-related assets, including the sale by Scotiabank of its fixed income indices business to TSX Group.

In the area of sophisticated tech licensing, IT procurement and other tech commercial deals, George’s creativity and broad experience allows clients to resolve difficult issues more quickly and to get the relationship off on the right foot. In the tech commercial area, George has a national practice with the following illustrative clients whom he has assisted with a broad range of agreements:

• a Montréal-based bank;
• a Calgary-based energy company;
• a Canadian-based, global life sciences company;
• a Toronto-based retailer;
• three Toronto-based banks;
• a Montréal-based communications company;
• a Toronto-based public sector agency; and
• a public sector consortium with members in BC, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec.

George helps clients craft sensible and workable solutions to complex e-commerce-related legal and compliance challenges, including in the privacy law space. He brings a steady and experienced hand to bear on the invariably unprecedented legal issues generated by novel e-commerce business processes. In the e-commerce/Internet law area, his extensive practice includes:

• advising companies on how to create legally compliant online customer experiences, including enforceable “click consent agreements,” workable electronic voting processes, etc.;
• advising governments on law reform initiatives aimed at facilitating e-commerce;
• helping organizations comply with privacy and data protection laws, and advising clients experiencing a data breach; and
• crafting and negotiating co-branding, Web-linking and other e-commerce-related agreements.

George regularly writes articles on the subject of computer and tech law in Lexpert Magazine’s Canadian edition. Below is a list of his most recently published articles in the magazine:

• “Legal Considerations for Data Breach Preparedness, Part 1.” Lexpert Magazine, November/December 2016
• “Legal Considerations for Data Breach Preparedness, Part 2.” Lexpert Magazine, January 2016
• “Legal Considerations for Data Breach Preparedness, Part 3.” Lexpert Magazine, February 2016
• “The TPP and Tech, Part 1.” Lexpert Magazine, March 2016
• “The TPP and Tech, Part 2.” Lexpert Magazine, April 2016
• “The TPP and Intellectual Property, Part 3.” Lexpert Magazine, May 2016
• “Technology and the Future of Lawyers, Part 1.” Lexpert Magazine, June 2016
• “Technology and the Future of Lawyers, Part 2.” Lexpert Magazine, July/August 2016
• “Digital Currencies and P2P Blockchain Ledgers, Part 1.” Lexpert Magazine, September 2016
• “The Legalities of Digital Currencies and Blockchain, Part 2.” Lexpert Magazine, October 2016
• “Ransomware, Cybercrime’s Latest Tactic.” Lexpert Magazine, November/December 2016
• "Happy Innovation Birthday Canada." Lexpert Magazine, January 2017
• "Board/Public Agency Oversight of the New Technologies." Lexpert Magazine, February 2017
• "E-Kiosk Contracts." Lexpert Magazine, March 2017
• “The Perils of Software Licensing.” Lexpert Magazine, June 2017
• “CASL 2.0 – From Bad to Perhaps Worse.” Lexpert Magazine, July/August 2017
• "Big Data and the Law." Lexpert Magazine, September 2017
• “Tech Tuck-Ins, Part 1.” Lexpert Magazine, October 2017
• “Tech Tuck-Ins, Part 2.” Lexpert Magazine, November/December 2017
• “Happy Tech New Year.” Lexpert Magazine, January/February 2018
• “GDPR: The Next Chapter in Data Protection.” Lexpert Magazine, March 2018

George is the author of three books: Computer Law, second edition; The Software Business, second edition; and Contracting for Computers, fourth edition. For 20 years he was an Adjunct Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, where he taught an evening course in Computer Law. George is in demand as a speaker to legal and technology industry audiences and a regular writer on legal technology topics.

George is listed in the 2017 edition of Chambers Global: The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business and in the 2018 edition of Chambers Canada: Canada's Leading Lawyers for Business in the area of information technology for Canada. Since its inception (and most recently in 2016), George has appeared in the Lexpert/The American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada, as a leading lawyer in the areas of technology and corporate mid-market. George is recognized in The Best Lawyers in Canada as a leading lawyer in information technology law and technology law. Best Lawyers also named George the 2017 Information Technology Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Toronto. He is also listed as a leading lawyer in the area of telecommunications, media and technology in the current editions of Who's Who Legal: Canada and The Legal 500 - Canada. Since its inception in 1997, he has been listed in the current Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, a guide to the leading law firms and practitioners in Canada, as a leading lawyer in the areas of technology, corporate mid-market, private equity and computer & IT law.

George received his BA and his JD (Dean’s Honour List) from the University of Toronto. He also has his MA in international relations from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University in Ottawa. He was called to the Ontario bar in 1985. George has been on the Board of, and continues to raise money for, Lake Scugog Camp, an organization serving underprivileged and “at risk” children/youth and their families (a camp that George attended when he was a child).