Technology Issues in Commercial Deals 2025

Course Chairs
Ryan J. Black — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver
Jacob Kojfman — Senior Legal Counsel, The Co-operators Group Limited, Burnaby

About the Course Chairs
Ryan Black is a games and technology lawyer at DLA Piper, where he focuses on consumer-facing commercial law, with a particular focus on licensing and commercialization, ‎intellectual ‎property, information technology, and ‎consumer-facing internet businesses. As ‎a former software and internet developer, Ryan has a unique insight into emerging technology ‎matters important to today's businesses, such as cybersecurity, blockchain technologies, artificial ‎intelligence (AI), open source software, deepfakes, cloud computing, and social media.‎ And, as a true gaming lawyer, he's been dealing with AI and online harms issues before they were cool because video games and artificial intelligence are about as old as each other.

Ryan leads the Video Games and Interactive Entertainment subsector pillar at DLA Piper globally, part of the Media, Sport and Entertainment sector, and sits on the board of the Video Game Bar Association, the Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society, and Claren Academy. When not lawyering, Ryan is a member of the board of ‎directors of the Video Game Bar Association, and he also enjoys playing basketball or spending time ‎with his wife (Yolanda), daughter (Liara), twin brother (Tyler) and/or 112TB game-‎streaming media server (New Gandalf).

While he likes to introduce himself as a professional poker player or a stand-up comedian, Jacob Kojfman is really Senior Legal Counsel at The Co-operators Group Limited, where he reviews, drafts, and negotiates high risk critical tech-related agreements, and coaches and mentors junior lawyers. Previously, he was Senior Legal Counsel at a global IT services company, supporting a number of business units.

He is a skilled, creative and entertaining presenter. He created a CLE "Who Wants to be an IP-onaire" based on the game show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire," with questions related to IP but based on historical and current events so any lawyer could play, and has delivered this to CBA branches in New Brunswick and CBABC. He recently created and moderated a panel discussion on counterfeit issues "Is it Fake?" at the Association of Corporate Counsel's Annual Meeting in October 2025, with some inspiration from the show "Is it Cake?"

He has created, moderated or been a panelist on a number of CBABC IP/IT section meetings, and has had a number of articles publishes on tech law issues.

Jacob graduated with a JD/MBA from Osgoode Hall and the Schulich School of Business, and completed the "Certificate in Drafting and Negotiating IT Agreements" in 2017. He is now faculty for that CLE.

Besides poker, Jacob loves his Peloton, coaches a U13 girls soccer team, and enjoys reading novels and listening to biographies on audiobooks.

Planning Committee
Cecilia Barnes — Lawson Lundell LLP, Vancouver
Vincent Kam Sun Yip — McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Vancouver
Robert C. Piasentin — McMillan LLP, Vancouver

Faculty
Cecilia Barnes — Lawson Lundell LLP, Vancouver
Sarah Cormack — Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, Vancouver
Olayinka Fawumi — Recurrent Energy, Mission
Amy Fong — McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Vancouver
Joel Guralnick — Joel Guralnick Law Corporation, Vancouver
Cathy Jares — Aird & Berlis LLP, Vancouver (remote presentation)
Vincent Kam Sun Yip — McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Vancouver
Morgan McDonald — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver
Robert C. Piasentin — McMillan LLP, Vancouver
Rachel Schechter — Roper Greyell LLP, Vancouver
Danielle Windt — Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Vancouver

• key terms and provisions typically included in SLAs
• considerations, risks, and best practices for drafting and negotiating these agreements
• strategies for managing performance, addressing breaches, and maintaining effective client and vendor relationships

• key contractual terms and provisions
• considerations, risks, and implications for both parties
• essential negotiating points, tips, and strategies for securing favorable terms and minimizing risks

• key contractual terms and provisions
• considerations, risks, and implications for both parties
• essential negotiating points, tips, and strategies for securing favorable terms and minimizing risks

• key contractual terms and provisions
• considerations, risks, and implications for both parties
• essential negotiating points, tips, and strategies for securing favorable terms and minimizing risks

• key contractual terms and provisions
• considerations, risks, and implications for both parties including court decisions
• essential negotiating points, tips, and strategies for securing favorable terms and minimizing risks

• common pitfalls and strategies for effective negotiation and client management
• practical approaches to handling challenging situations, last-minute issues, and deal breakdowns
• insights on managing difficult parties, cross-border legal considerations, and supporting clients with limited resources