Paris, January 4, 2016 – Baker & McKenzie advised Accenture on the acquisition of Boomerang Pharmaceutical Communications.  The e-marketing agency was represented by DLA Piper.

With this acquisition, Accenture has reinforced its expertise in e-consulting and e-marketing with its clients operating in the pharmaceutical, biotechnologies and medical instruments sectors, specifically in Europe.  As a result, Accenture now has new skills for the development and promotion of digital campaigns, web content and marketing operations.

Mills & Reeve have advised PayPoint plc on the sale of its online payment business to Capita for £14.4 million.

PayPoint is an international leader in payment technologies, providing payment solutions for everyone from consumer and financial services companies to retailers, utilities, media and government clients. The sale includes PayPoint.net and Metacharge.

Olswang has advised All3Media, the leading independent television, film and digital production and distribution company, on its acquisition of acclaimed drama production company New Pictures Limited.

The New Pictures team have enjoyed success with hit returning drama series The Missing and Indian Summers, and have had two new thriller series Rellik and Requiem commissioned by BBC One.

Slaughter and May advised Alibaba Group Holding Limited (Alibaba) in relation to the injection of its Online Movie Ticketing and Yulebao businesses into Alibaba Pictures Group Limited (APG). The total consideration for the asset purchase is approximately  HK$4.06 billion (approximately US$520 million), subject to specified post-completion adjustments.

Bona Film Group Limited, a leading distributor and vertically integrated film company in China, announced it has entered into a merger agreement with Mountain Tiger International Limited and its subsidiary, Mountain Tiger Limited, to be acquired for a cash consideration equal to $27.40 per ordinary share, or $13.70 per ADS. The transaction implies an enterprise value of Bona Film at approximately $1,001.3 million. The merger, which is currently expected to close during the second quarter of 2016, is subject to various closing conditions.

As reported in The Wall Street Journal and other media outlets, Paul, Weiss client Microsoft entered into an agreement to form a joint venture with China Electronic Technology Corporation (CETC) to license, deploy, manage and optimize Windows 10 for China's government agencies and certain state-owned enterprises in mission critical infrastructure sectors and to provide ongoing support and services for these customers. CETC is one of China's large-scale, state-owned, high-tech enterprise groups. The joint venture will provide customized Windows 10 to government enterprises in China.

Darrois Villey Maillot Brochier advised LCI and TF1 in their application to switch LCI from Pay-TV to Free-to-Air. Following the annulment by the Conseil d’Etat, the highest French administrative court, of the French audiovisual authority’s (CSA) initial refusal, the CSA authorized LCI to switch to Free-to-Air.

The DVMB team included Didier Théophile and Guillaume Aubron.

Vogel & Vogel as well as François-Henri Briard also advised LCI and TF1.

Ashurst is advising UBM plc, one of the world's leading B2B events organisers, on its obligations under the Listing Rules, including the preparation of a class 1 circular, in relation to the disposal of PR Newswire, its press release distribution business.

PR Newswire is to be acquired by Cision, a business controlled by GTCR Canyon Holdings (Cayman), L.P., for US$841 million. The consideration comprises US$810 million in cash and US$31 million of preferred equity (on a fair value basis).

De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek has assisted Ericsson, one of the leading companies in telecommunications and owner of one of the industry’s strongest IP portfolios (which includes more than 37,000 patents granted worldwide), in resolving its dispute with Apple over a global FRAND licence for Ericsson’s standard essential mobile technology patents.

With a team led by Frankfurt-based Partner Dr. Günther M. Bredow, Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek advised Janoschka Group on replacing existing corporate financing at a volume of about EUR 27 million. Existing bridge financing by IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG was replaced by financing granted by IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG and LFPI European Debt Fund SCA as mezzanine capital. In addition, senior loans and credit lines were granted by IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG, NordLB, and Sparkasse Offenburg.