From Risk to Opportunity: How the EU Data Act Opens New Possibilities

The EU Data Act is fundamentally changing the way data is handled and opening up new strategic opportunities for law firms, legal departments, and businesses. What begins as regulation is becoming a driver of efficiency, new business models, and legally compliant data use. Those who see the Data Act not merely as a compliance task but as a framework for innovation can turn legal obligations into competitive advantages by combining law, technology, and strategy. This is how regulatory pressure can be transformed into real value — for companies, clients, and data-driven innovation.

From Loss of Control to the Right to Shape

Many companies initially see the Data Act as an intrusion into their data sovereignty. In reality, it shifts the focus from control and exclusivity to shared value creation. Legally secure access to machine data, usage statistics, and IoT information enables new collaborations on technical, commercial, and legal levels.
Instead of keeping data locked behind firewalls, organizations can now use it in a structured, compliant, and economically meaningful way. Law firms and legal departments are key to shaping the legal frameworks that foster trust, transparency, and innovation — a new field of strategic legal advisory in data law. This is where legal expertise becomes a key resource for enabling secure and scalable digital value creation.

New Business Models Through Data Sharing

The EU Data Act introduces harmonized rules for data exchange and thereby provides both legal certainty and strategic clarity. Companies can share data without compromising trade secrets and at the same time benefit from the data of others, laying out the foundation for a European data-sharing economy.

Examples from practice:
• Industrial platforms: Manufacturers and suppliers use shared machine data to optimize maintenance, production, and supply chains.
• Mobility ecosystems: Standardized vehicle data enables new services for insurers, repair shops, and smart city initiatives.
• Smart cities: Public and private stakeholders pool data for sustainable urban planning and energy efficiency.

The FRAND principle (Fair, Reasonable, and Non-Discriminatory) builds trust and promotes innovation as key pillars of the European data economy. It creates a regulated environment where innovation becomes predictable, and investments in data-driven business models are protected over the long term.

Data as the New Currency: Compliance Meets Monetization

The EU Data Act creates a regulated market for data use. Companies can monetize data licensing models, API access, and usage rights, provided that the conditions are fair, transparent, and non-discriminatory.

For lawyers, law firms, and in-house legal teams, new advisory opportunities are emerging:
• Developing data-sharing agreements and data governance frameworks
• Designing data licensing models
• Implementing data monetization strategies in a legally compliant way

Those who adopt standardized and automated processes early — such as using Legal Tech tools for contract analysis or compliance monitoring — can combine legal certainty with operational efficiency. A new form of legal value creation is emerging, in which data contracts become digital assets connecting law and technology.

Governance, Trust and Competitive Advantage

A well-defined data governance framework is becoming a strategic necessity.
Organizations that establish clear processes early can:
• Manage data quality and liability more effectively
• Build trust with clients and partners
• Use compliance as a genuine competitive differentiator

In data-driven markets, Data Act compliance is set to become a new benchmark for quality, comparable to ESG or data protection certifications. As a result, compliance is evolving from a mere obligation into an essential part of corporate branding and innovation strategy.

Practical Steps Toward Strategic Value

1. Build data governance: Define policies for data access, usage, and sharing.
2. Create a contract library: Provide standardized clauses and templates for data-sharing and API agreements.
3. Ensure technical implementation: Establish access controls and interfaces compliant with the GDPR and the Data Act.
4. Train teams: Clarify roles and responsibilities across legal, IT, and business functions.
5. Monitor and audit: Continuously assess compliance and align with evolving EU guidance.

Organizations that act now not only secure legal certainty but also build the foundation for automated, AI-supported data strategies.

Conclusion

The EU Data Act marks the beginning of a new data culture — also within the legal field. Those who embrace it proactively can turn regulatory demands into opportunities through data-driven business models, automated contract analysis, and smart governance structures. For law firms, legal departments, and corporate counsel, the time to act is now: modernize processes, leverage Legal Tech effectively, and approach data with strategic foresight. This is how compliance becomes a true competitive advantage.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

More on this topic – upcoming in our blog series:

• Part 1 – The EU Data Act: Why the new EU regulation will transform your legal work
  • Part 2 – The EU Data Act since September 2025: What applies now and which upcoming deadlines legal teams need to track
  • Part 3 – Contract Clauses Under the EU Data Act: What to watch for and potential risks
  • Part 5 – Legal Tech and the Data Act Compliance Check: How Contract Insights supports implementation