Peter Kováč is an Of Counsel in the Bratislava office and the co-head of the firm-wide Data & Cybersecurity services. He focuses on the life sciences & healthcare sector, dispute resolution, compliance, risk and sensitive investigations, white-collar crime, and TMT. He has a strong academic background and an extensive professional experience in both criminal and medical forensic law.

Peter is an expert witness in forensic pathology, serology, toxicology and alcohology and a sworn expert witness registered with the Ministry of the Justice of the Slovak Republic. He is an author of several expert publications focusing on local life sciences and healthcare sector regulation and is an acclaimed speaker at sector specific conferences and events.

RECENT ENGAGEMENTS INCLUDE ADVISING

Life Sciences & Healthcare

• A GROUP OF HOSPITAL PHYSICIANS in labour disputes related to on-call duty
• A PRIVATE HEALTHCARE SPECIALIST in negotiation of specific terms of overtime of medical staff and improving working environment conditions (exposition to x-ray, infections etc.)
• AGEL on the reorganization of working hours and the optimization of the number of employees at one of its hospitals in Slovakia, where labour unions are active
• VARIOUS PHARMA CLIENTS on numerous Slovak pharma regulatory issues
• ZDRUŽENIE VŠEOBECNÝCH LEKÁROV PRE DOSPELÝCH SLOVENSKEJ REPUBLIKY on drafting an amendment to the Act No. 581/2004 Coll. on health insurance companies, as amended and drafting subordinate legal regulation

Dispute Resolution

• A GROUP OF HOSPITAL PHYSICIANS in labour disputes related to on-call duty
• A PRIVATE HEALTHCARE PRACTITIONER regarding a protection of good repute dispute
• A NUMBER OF VARIOUS MATTERS IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR, including disputes in relation to medical malpractice. defamation on the social network among physicians related to the COVID-19 pandemic, a dispute involving claims against the hospital for medical malpractice (surgery), etc.

Technology, Media & Telecommunications 

• APPLEARN INTERNATIONAL on all aspects of acquisition of the Slovak software / AI application development group of companies known as YesElf Slovakia, including the review of critical intellectual property from third parties, IP licensing and assignment and agreements with contractors
• OSEZKO, a provider of electronization of health insurance cards, and A TEAM OF EXPERTS AND VOLUNTEERS LED BY SYGIC on the development of a COVID-19 related application COVID-19 Zostan Zdravy (Stay Healthy) to prevent spreading of the virus in the Slovak Republic, including on the preparation of a memorandum of cooperation and other day-to-day advice
• POWERFUL MEDICAL, a Slovak artificial intelligence and machine learning based healthcare solutions developer, on the incorporation of a company MEDANNOT as a partner of the client, as well as ongoing legal support
• POWERFUL MEDICAL, a Slovak artificial intelligence and machine learning based healthcare solutions developer, on negotiations of pre-seed investment agreement with Zero Gravity Capital, a venture capital fund in Slovakia fueling early-stage innovations

IP&T

• POWERFUL MEDICAL, a Slovak artificial intelligence and machine learning based healthcare solutions developer, on a number of matters, including on research and improvement of AI algorithm based on (pseudonymous) health data, development of joint intellectual property and the associated governance, supporting client’s expansion to various EU countries, US, Israel, Middle East, including drafting and negotiation of (software and licensing) distribution agreements, agreements with customers, agreements with external software developers, intellectual property aspects with employees and consultants, support in patent and trademark submissions
• BRACKETS by Triad, a Slovak-based software engineering company, on registration of trademarks in Slovakia and Czech Republic for their B2B application enabling remote voting, including drafting of customer agreements, terms of use, data protection policies as well as regulatory requirements in the area of cybersecurity
• DELIVERY HERO SE on incorporation of a new entity in Slovakia, Foodpanda online food and grocery delivery platform, including advising on intellectual property aspects, in particular an analysis of the use of the client’s brand name in the context of its past divestment of a similar business in Slovakia (licensing requirements, branding)
• APPLEARN INTERNATIONAL on all aspects of acquisition of the Slovak software / AI application development group of companies known as YesElf Slovakia, including the review of critical intellectual property from third parties, IP licensing and assignment and agreements with contractors
• DAN - SLOVAKIA AGRAR (Jantzen Group) on intellectual property matters, including drafting license agreement for a wide range of IP rights relating to the full management of a farm, in particular the technology used and licenced

EDUCATION

• 2012: Trnava University, Trnava, Slovakia, Faculty of Law, Associate Professor (Doc.)
• 2010: Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia, Faculty of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD.)
• 2005: Trnava University, Trnava, Slovakia, Faculty of Law, Doctor of Law (JUDr.)
• 2005: Trnava University, Trnava, Slovakia, Faculty of Law, PhD.
• 2003: Slovak Health University, Slovakia, Qualified Forensic Pathologist
• 2002: Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia, Faculty of Law, Master of Law (Mgr.)
• 1999: Slovak Postgradual Academy of Medicine, Bratislava, Slovakia, Qualified Pathologist Stage 1
• 1996: Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia, Faculty of Medicine, Doctor of Medicine (MUDr.)

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATION

• Slovak Bar Association
• World Association for Medical Law (WAML)
• European Association of Health Law (EAHL)
• Sworn expert witness in Forensic Pathology, Serology, Toxicology and Alcohology registered with the Ministry of the Justice of the Slovak Republic
• Member of the expert task force of the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic focusing on medical care for victims of sexual abuse

LANGUAGES

Slovak, English, German

PUBLICATIONS

• Artificial intelligence-driven facial image analysis for the early detection of rare diseases: Legal, ethical, forensic, and cybersecurity considerations, AI, an Open Access Journal by MDPI, 2024 (lead author)
• Expert witnesses professional and methodological mistakes in medical malpractice cases, Studia Prawnoustrojowe, 2022 (co-author)
• Pôrodníctvo, A-medi management, 2022 (co-author)
• Očkovanie v kontexte ochrany zdravia nielen v boji s pandémiou COVID-19, Wolters Kluwer, 2022 (co-author)
• Inovácie a trendy v M&A. Praktická príručka, C. H. Beck, 2020 (co-author)
• Legislation of direct-to-consumer genetic testing in Europe: a frag mented regulatory landscape, Journal of Community Genetics, Volume 9, 2018 (co-author)