White & Case LLP has achieved a victory for Prosodie-Capgemini in its dispute with Bouygues Telecom before the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications and Posts (ARCEP), the French telecommunications regulator.

The dispute concerned the pricing of value added services (special phone numbers giving access to specific services such as after sales assistance, bank accounts information, booking train tickets, contacting administrative services etc).

Simpson Thacher represented Linekong Interactive Co., Ltd. (“Linekong Interactive”) in connection with its initial public offering in Hong Kong and Rule 144A/Regulation S offering of an aggregate of 73,968,000 ordinary shares (prior to the exercise of the over-allotment option), which raised approximately HK$724.9 million (approximately US$93.5 million) in gross proceeds. The ordinary shares of Linekong Interactive are listed on the Growth Enterprise Market of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Paul Hastings LLP, a leading global law firm, announced today that it advised SoftBank Corp. as the lead investor in the US$600 million Series D financing of KuaiDi Dache, a leading mobile taxi booking app in China. SoftBank Corp. (TYO:9984) and its subsidiaries and associates offer a comprehensive range of mobile communications, fixed-line communications and internet services around the world.
Alibaba Group and Tiger Global participated in the financing, which aims to expand and improve KuaiDi Dache’s services in China.

Pinsent Masons has together with Simpson Thacker & Bartlett advised Northgate Information Solutions and its owner KKR on the sale of Northgate Public Services (NPS) to European private equity firm Cinven.

Hemel Hempstead based NPS is an integrated software, outsourcing and IT services business with in-depth experience in the public sector developed since 1969. Clients include government departments and agencies, local authorities, emergency services, public health bodies, transport providers and utilities as well as housing providers in the UK and internationally.

Baker & McKenzie's securities team acted as Hong Kong law counsel on the HK$660 million global offering of Asiaray Media Group Limited ("Asiaray"), a leading out-of-home media company with a strategic focus on airport and metro line advertising across Greater China. The shares of Asiaray commenced trading on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited on 15 January 2015.

Gloria Technology LLC (“Gloria Technology”, stock code: 831641) has successfully listed on the National Equities Exchange and Quotations (“NEEQ”) system. A team composed of Nanjing-based partners Zhang Chengdong and Xu Li and associate Ju Tingfang conducted due diligence and advised Gloria Technology on the NEEQ listing.

Norton Rose Fulbright advised POLITICO on its joint acquisition with German publisher Axel Springer of the respected Brussels publication European Voice and Development Institute International, France’s leading event promoter in the public affairs space.

The international team of Norton Rose Fulbright advised regarding tax structuring and its implementation. The team already advised POLITICO on corporate and tax matters in the context of its joint venture with Axel Springer SE in September 2014.

Mapillary AB has announced a $1.5 million seed investment round led by Sequoia Capital. Other investors include the London-based funds Playfair and Wellington and New York based LDV Capital.

Mapillary’s app allows anyone to use a smartphone or other devices like GoPro, Garmin Virb and low flying drones to collect photos that are combined into a street level view. The company currently has around 6 million photos uploaded and has mapped 200,000 square kilometres of the planet.

Mills & Reeve’s corporate team in Birmingham, led by partner Peter McLintock and supported by senior associate Ryan Hawley, advised the principal vendors, David Poole and Ian Humphris, co-founders and managing directors of Life, on the sale to Communisis, which completed on 5 January 2015.

Communisis acquired Life for £23 million, split between an up front consideration with an earn out based on performance over the next three years.

As part of the deal, David and Ian will join Communisis in senior executive roles.

Bird & Bird Hamburg-based Regulatory and Administrative law team, led by partner Michael Stulz-Herrnstadt and also involving associates Judith Hoffmann and Christoph Engelmann, has won a landmark case concerning regional television commercials for the ProSiebenSat.1 Group before the Federal Administrative Court of Germany (BVerwG) in Leipzig. In the last instance, the Federal Administrative Court concurred with the legal view of the television company: ProSieben is allowed to broadcast regional TV advertising on a national TV channel.