Freshfields Tax Partner David Taylor advises Siemens on joint venture

International law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP has advised Siemens AG on the sale of its 50 percent share in their joint venture Fujitsu Siemens Computers to Fujitsu Ltd. The purchase price will be approximately €450 million.

Fujitsu Siemens Computers was established in 1999 as a 50-50 joint venture based in Maarssen (Netherlands). Siemens and Fujitsu plan to complete the transaction in March 2009 following approval by the relevant regulatory institutions.

The international Freshfields team was lead by corporate partner Christopher Bown and included partners David Taylor (tax) and David Aitman (competition), and associates Michael Crichton (corporate), Graham Wrenn (tax), Alexandra Brown (competition) (all London) as well as lawyers from Freshfields’ offices in Amsterdam and Tokyo.