ProfessionalsJonathan H. Ashtor

Tel: +1-212-373-3823
Fax: +1-212-492-0823
jashtor@paulweiss.com
jashtor@paulweiss.com
1285 Avenue of the Americas
New York,
NY
10019-6064
Fax: +1-212-492-0823
Jonathan Ashtor is a partner in the Corporate Department and a member of the Intellectual Property & Technology Transactions Group. His practice focuses on technology M&A transactions, IP licensing, patent analytics, portfolio monetization and technology dispute resolution and advisory work. His experience has included major, complex and multi-jurisdictional M&A across a variety of industry sectors, including high-tech, biopharma, industrial chemicals, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. In 2023, Jonathan was recognized by Bloomberg Law in its “They’ve Got Next: 40 Under 40” and one of the “500 Leading Dealmakers in America” by Lawdragon. Jonathan was ranked among the Top 10 Intellectual Property Lawyers in North America in 2021 by MergerLinks.
EXPERIENCE
Jonathan's practice covers several areas including:
- technology M&A, including public company mergers, private equity transactions, venture-backed IPOs and acquisitions, spinoffs and joint ventures
- technology development and collaboration agreements, global distribution and commercialization agreements and technology financing
- patent and other intellectual property licenses, software and IT agreements, logistics and operations services agreements and data licensing arrangements
- patent analytics involving a variety of technologies, including mobile communications, pharma and biochem, blockchain, nanotech, emerging technologies, AI, AR/VR and green tech
Some recent transactions include:
COMPUTER & SEMICONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGIES
- International Business Machines Corp. in its:
- $34 billion acquisition of Red Hat, Inc., creating the world’s largest hybrid cloud provider
- spin-off of the market-leading managed infrastructure services business into a new public company, Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.
- Magnachip Semiconductor Corporation, a South Korea-based designer and manufacturer of analog and mixed-signal semiconductor platform solutions for communications, Internet of Things (“IoT”), consumer, industrial and automotive applications, in its:
- $1.4 billion take-private sale to investment vehicles established by Wise Road Capital and certain of its limited partners
- sale, valued at approximately $435 million, of its Foundry Services Group and fabrication plant in Cheongju, Korea by certain of MagnaChip’s wholly-owned subsidiaries to a special purpose company established by Alchemist Capital Partners Korea Co. and Credian Partners
- Qualcomm Incorporated, a California-based provider of 3G, 4G and next-generation wireless technologies, in its proposed acquisition of NXP Semiconductors N.V. for approximately $47 billion
- Special Committee of QAD, Inc. in its $2 billion sale to private equity firm Thomas Bravo
- HP, Inc. in its $1.05 billion acquisition of the global printer business of Samsung Electronics Co., including negotiating ancillary intellectual property-related agreements and structuring certain aspects of the separation of the business
- Mitel Networks Corporation, a Canada-based business communications provider, in its $530 million acquisition of ShoreTel, a California-based communication solutions provider, involving the acquisition of a significant international IP portfolio, as well as advising on IP issues relating to outbound affiliate licenses and historical IP disputes; and in Mitel’s approximately $2 billion acquisition by an investor group led by affiliates of Searchlight Capital Partners
- Representation of certain private equity and hedge fund clients in connection with technology M&A and licensing transactions, including IT and data rights arrangements
HEALTHCARE & BIOTECH
- Merck in its $10.8 billion acquisition of Prometheus Biosciences
- Amazon in its $3.9 billion acquisition of One Medical, a human-centered, technology-powered national primary care organization
- General Electric in the $21.4 billion sale of its BioPharma business to Danaher Corporation
- Teladoc Health, a New York-based telemedicine and virtual healthcare company, in its $18.5 billion acquisition of Livongo Health, a California-based Applied Health Signals company
- PRA Health Sciences, a leading global contract research organization, in its acquisition of ICON for approximately $12 billion
- Alexion Pharmaceuticals, a Massachusetts-based biopharmaceutical company focused on serving patients affected by rare and devastating diseases, in its $1.4 billion acquisition of Portola Pharmaceuticals, a California-based commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on life-threatening blood-related disorders
- Elanco Animal Health Incorporated, an Indiana-based animal health company that develops products and knowledge services to prevent and treat disease in food animals and pets, in its $7.6 billion carve-out acquisition of the animal health business of Bayer AG and subsequent secondary offering of common stock
- The Medicines Company, a New Jersey-based biopharmaceutical company, in its offering of $150 million of common stock, lead managed by Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan
- Catalent, Inc. in the sale of its Blow-Fill-Seal (BFS) Sterile Contract Development and Manufacturing Business to funds advised by SK Capital Partners
E-COMMERCE & MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES
- Golden Gate Capital in its:
- acquisition of Securly, a California-based end-to-end student safety and device management platform, from the company’s shareholders
- sale of a majority stake of its portfolio company Vector Solutions to Genstar Capital
- $3.1 billion sale of Neustar to TransUnion
- Adjust, a global app measurement and marketing company headquartered in Berlin, in its sale to AppLovin, a Palo Alto-based global technology platform
- TeraWulf in its $200 million in debt and equity financing consisting of a secured term loan and subscriptions agreements with investors to purchase newly issued shares of common stock, and in becoming a Nasdaq-listed public company through a business combination with IKONICS Corporation. TeraWulf was formed to own and operate environmentally clean U.S. bitcoin mining facilities, designed to achieve 200 megawatts of mining capacity by the second half of 2022
- Ericsson in the divestment of a 51% ownership stake in its Media Solutions business to One Equity Partners, a New York-based private equity firm. The Media Solutions business offers a wide-ranging media portfolio, including hardware and software video compression solutions, and serves a broad base of operators, service providers, broadcasters, content providers and aggregators. The transaction structure is intended to further develop the Media Solutions business and establish it as a leading independent video technology company. The transaction involved advising on several technology licensing matters
- Endeavor Streaming, a provider of over-the-top streaming services and a division of Endeavor, a global leader in entertainment, media and sports, in connection with the negotiation and drafting of key technology services agreements with WWE for the operation and support of its WWE Network streaming platform
- Farelogix, a Florida-based airline commerce and distribution technology company, in its sale to Accelya, a Spain-based provider of airline revenue management and logistics technology and a portfolio company of Vista Equity Partners
- Advance, a New York-based company that operates and invests in media, communications and technology businesses, in its acquisition of Palladian Holdings, Inc., owner of Turnitin, a California-based provider of plagiarism detection technology and other related products from an investment entity affiliated with Insight Venture Partners, GIC and their co-investors
EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
- Amazon in its $1.4 billion acquisition of iRobot, a Massachusetts-based company that designs and builds innovative cleaning products for the home
- Qualcomm Incorporated, a California-based provider of 3G, 4G and next-generation wireless technologies, alongside SSW Partners, in its $4.5 billion topping bid for Veoneer, a Sweden-based automotive technology company. As part of the transaction, Veoneer terminated its prior agreement with Magna International
- Nuance Communications, a Massachusetts-based conversational AI innovator, in its:
- $19.7 billion sale to Microsoft
- spin-off of its automotive software business
- $400 million sale of its Document Imaging division to Kofax, Inc., a California-based supplier of software and solutions for human and information intensive processes
- Aptiv plc, an Ireland-based auto parts company, in its:
- $4.3 billion acquisition of Wind River from TPG Capital
- $4 billion autonomous driving joint venture with Hyundai Motor Group, a South Korea-based automotive manufacturer
- Signature Bank in the development of its new blockchain-based digital payments platform, Signet. The platform, designed to enable real-time payments for its commercial clients, is a partnership between Signature and trueDigital Holdings, a New York-based exchange and settlement technology company
OTHER INDUSTRIES
- General Atlantic in various technology-focused acquisitions and investments across multiple industries including business services, financial services, healthcare, internet, and retail and consumer products, including alongside other investors, in the $105 million investment in Talos, a New York-based provider of institutional digital asset trading technology
- Pine Technology Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company, in its proposed merger with the Tomorrow Companies Inc., the developer of a leading platform for global weather and climate security, to create a publicly traded company
- Trane Technologies in the $15 billion Reverse Morris Trust spinoff and merger of its industrial business with Gardner Denver Holdings, a provider of industrial equipment and technologies, creating a $15 billion global leader in mission-critical flow and industrial technologies
- Brooks Automation in the separation of its business into two independent, publicly-traded companies
- Honeywell, a Fortune 100 software-industrial company, in its spin-off of Garrett Motion, Inc., Honeywell’s former Transportation Systems business
- General Electric in its:
- proposed plan to form three industry-leading global public companies focused on aviation, healthcare and energy
- combination of its jet leasing unit, GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS), with Dublin-based AerCap Holdings NV in a cash-and-stock transaction valued at more than $30 billion
- Mitsubishi Chemical America in its acquisition of Gelest, a Pennsylvania-based innovator, manufacturer, and supplier of silicones, organosilanes, metal-organics and specialty monomers for advanced technology end markets, from New Mountain Capital
- Virtu Financial, a New York-based technology-enabled market maker, in its:
- approximately $1 billion acquisition of Investment Technology Group, a New York-based financial technology company
- approximately $1.4 billion acquisition of KCG Holdings, a New Jersey-based independent securities firm, and in the related $750 million investment in Virtu by North Island, GIC, Public Sector Pension Investment Board and Temasek
- SoftBank Vision Fund, alongside various global investors, in the$1.9 billion investment in Full Truck Alliance, a China-based truck-hailing company
- KPS Capital Partners in the sale of Genesis Attachments, LLC to NPK Construction Equipment
- Funds managed by affiliates of Berkshire Partners in their acquisition of FoodChain ID, a food-safety and food-quality products and services business, from Paine Schwartz Partners
Jonathan's expertise includes complex analytics of patent matters through the use of proprietary models and commercial databases, and he develops new analytics tools through his academic research appointments. He has published numerous thought leadership pieces and empirical studies focused on patents and innovation economics and he regularly presents at research and practitioner conferences worldwide.
Jonathan is also a Professor of Practice at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where he designed and teaches a course on Technology Transactions.
Awards & Recognitions
Ranked among the Top 10 Intellectual Property Lawyers in North America by MergerLinks (2021)
NYU Engelberg Center on Innovation Law and Policy Fellowship (2021)
Leonardo Da Vinci Research Fellowship (2017)
Financial Times North America “Innovative Lawyers” Rankings (2015)
Thomas Edison Innovation Fellowship (2015)
Samsung-Stanford Patent Prize (2011)