Data for Sale: Can Insolvent Companies Realise the Value of Corporate Data?
Spirit Airlines' proposed US$10m data sale asks whether business data can be realised for creditors while remaining compliant.
Barry is internationally recognised as a leading expert in the area of AI law. He advises clients on issues relating to text and data mining, AI copyright infringement, machine learning, and AI ownership. He has expertise in AI specific contracts, licences, and dataset agreements. Barry specialises in advising on the AI Act and other legislation such as the DSA and GDPR from an AI compliance perspective.
Barry was appointed by the Irish Government to Ireland’s AI Advisory Council; has recently completed the writing stage of his PhD on AI and copyright; and is a member of the Law Society of Ireland’s IP & Technology Committee.
Recent work includes advising:
- Some of Ireland’s largest media organisations on data licensing to AI companies and dataset agreements;
- A New York-based NASDAQ traded plc on the development and IP issues related to proprietary large language models;
- A major BigTech multinational on the copyright considerations of their services related to AI;
- One of the main social media platforms on various legal issues related to their AI products being released.”
2025 Legal 500 EMEA
"Barry Scannell is a first class lawyer with tremendous technical and commercial knowledge of a new and transformative area of law. He is able to explain complicated and esoteric information that allows his clients to understand the issues and opportunities they are facing." "Exceptional in his approach to our business challenges. Persistent in his pursuit of our interests and reliable in his availability and consistent support, I could not recommend Barry highly enough." "Great depth of understanding of how AI services operate - allows him to give nuanced advice. He is continually up-to-speed on the latest developments in the area, both technological and regulatory and I know he is extremely well-informed with whatever advice he gives."
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Article and Insights
Article and Insights
Podcast: Inside the AI Act: Barry Scannell and John O’Connor on the Transparency Obligations
Technology Partners Dr. Barry Scannell joined John O'Connor for the latest instalment of our Lunchtime AI Series for AI enthusiasts.
Article and Insights
Time Running Out as AI Transparency Guidelines Published
The Commission has published its final Article 50 guidelines mere days before the 2 August deadline.
Article and Insights
Technology Report 2026 – Return on Investment: The Key Commercial Question
69% of larger Irish organisations still can't measure AI ROI; Barry Scannell explains contract renegotiation and closing the value gap.
Article and Insights
Irish AI Office Loses Market Surveillance Role
Ireland's newly published AI Bill confines the new AI Office to coordination and the single point of contact role, and has dropped its proposed MSA...
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EU’s Data Sovereignty Response to US AI Bans
In the face of US export control directives banning certain AI use by those outside the US, EU sovereignty rules will reshape cloud and AI procurem...
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Part 2: AI Act Articles 50(3) and 50(4) Transparency Obligations
The European Commission's Guidelines analyse Articles 50(3) and 50(4) of the AI Act and a Code of Practice for deployers and providers to follow.
Article and Insights
Part 1: AI Act Articles 50(1) and 50(2) Transparency Obligations.
The European Commission's Guidelines analyse horizontal issues across Article 50 of the AI Act and Articles 50(1) and 50(2).
Article and Insights
EU Publishes Draft Guidelines on Classification of High-Risk AI Systems
The European Commission opened a five-week consultation on 19 May 2026 on its draft Guidelines for the classification of high-risk AI systems under...
Article and Insights
EU AI Act Omnibus Deal Reached: Postponed Deadlines, Watermarking Compromise, and the Nudificiation Prohibition
The EU reached a provisional AI Act deal delaying high‑risk obligations, tightening generative AI marking rules, and adding new content‑related pro...