Ioan B. Mararu

Ioan B. Mararu is a Partner at Mararu & Mararu and advises clients on a broad range of corporate, commercial, technology, intellectual property, and regulatory matters in Romania. His practice encompasses foreign direct investment, M&A, complex contract negotiation, technology transfers, public procurement, and dispute resolution across sectors including aerospace, telecommunications, energy, manufacturing, and financial services.

Mararu regularly counsels multinational, corporate and SMEs onthe structuring and negotiation of international commercial agreements, jointventures, outsourcing arrangements, and investment projects. He has extensive experience with state-aid schemes, regulatory compliance, and public acquisition procedures. Notable matters include advising on the establishmentof Ericsson’s Global Service Delivery Center in Bucharest – involving personnel divisions transfers, facility agreements, transfer of frame and SLAs for worldwide telcos, regulatory approvals, and government incentives, advising a Canadian investment banking consortium on the $266 million Rosia Poieni coppermine privatization bid, SAP outsourcing agreements for some of the biggest industrial manufacturers, automotive and energyenterprises in Romania, high-value industrial assets, insurtech, insurance defense, insolvency and commercial litigation for key enterprises, advising on cross-border investigations, due diligence, computer forensics, ESI preservation, eDiscovry, environmental and compliance matters for major established clients and technology startups. He also assisted with high-value privatization processes and industrial disputes.

Prior to founding the firm, Mararu served as senior associate at Vitzman, Webster & Partners (2003–2004) and Marian Teodosiu Law Office (2001–2003), where he gained significant litigation experience and participated in nationwide matters for some of the country’s most reputed international and domestic brands in cash & carry, automotive, banking, financing, insurance, logistics, and winery.

He contributed to the development of key legislation during Romania’s EU accession as a member of/outside counsel in the Social Dialogue Commission with the Ministry of Justice, working on transpositions including the Companies Law 31/1991, Law 359/2004 on Trade Register procedures simplification, Insolvency Law 85/2006, Law 317/2004 on the Superior Council of Magistrates, Law 304/2004 on the organization of the justice system, 2004 Fiscal Code amendments, 2005 Labor Code amendments, and related ordinances such as the Emergency Ordinance 47/2006 amending and completing the Law 293/2004 regarding the Public Clerks Statute.

He also served as Secretary General of the Export Council of Romania, participating in consultations and negotiations on export control regulations, EU harmonization, commercial defense, and tax policies.

Among others, Mararu maintains an active practice in space-tech, space-data, IP and emerging technology matters and related national, EU and international regulatory frameworks. He authors regular insights on these topics and maintains a longstanding interest in astronomy, quantum physics, earth sciences, and engineering. He is fluent in English and French.

Ioan Mararu holds an LLB from the Ecological University of Bucharest and is admitted to the Bucharest Bar (2000). He is qualified to practice before the High Court of Cassation and Justice since 2008.

• Bucharest Bar, admitted Jan 15, 2001
• Ilfov Bar, registered 2004
• Licensed to practice law before all Romanian courts at national level, including the High-Court of Cassation and Justice
• Member of the International Bar Association, 2004
• VP Legal Affairs, the General Confederation of Romanian Industrialists (UGIR-1903), 2004-2006
• Outside counsel/Member of the Social Dialogue Commission, the Ministry of Justice, 2004-2006
• Secretary General, the Export Council of Romania, 2005
• Recommended attorney by the Legal 500 - editions up to 2012 - in Dispute Resolution, IT, Telecoms & Media, and PPP & Procurement practice areas
• Member of, and lighting talks presenter at the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency & Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory / DARPA's Lunar Operating Guidelines for Infrastructure Consortium (LOCC) meetings, 2025 - present; LOCC involves stakeholders across industry, academia, and government to identify critical lunar infrastructure interoperability and interface needs and standards
• Member of Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory's Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium (LSIC) – operating in collaboration with the NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate under the Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative (LSII), a platform fostering collaborations among academia, industry, and Government

LLB / Law Diploma issued by the Law Faculty of "Universitatea Ecologica" of Bucharest, a university with an emphasis on environmental law and environmental and natural sciences (admission 1995, graduation 2000). Inspired by many of his university professors, heads of cathedra with the prestigious Law Faculty of the Bucharest University and of doctoral schools, legal researchers, doctoral supervisors and authors such as Prof. Univ. Dr. Emilian Stancu - Criminalistics, Prof. Univ. Dr. Gheorghe Beleiu - Civil Law, Prof. Univ. Dr. Emil Molcuț - Roman Law, Prof. Univ. Dr. Ion Craiovan - the General Theory of Law, and Prof. Univ. Dr. Mircea Duțu, currently director of the Legal Research Institute of the Romanian Academy and President of Universitatea Ecologica, considered the founder of the branch of environmental law in Romania.

Principal degrees: civil law, civil procedure law, commercial law, environmental law, EU, public & private international law, international trade law, banking law, tax law, transports law, constitutional law, administrative law, labour law, maritime law, family law, Roman law, Latin, philosophy, legal English, penal law, penal procedure law, forensics, judicial psychology, copywriting, debate, public speaking.

Law diploma issued by the Alexandru Ioan Cuza Police Academy of Bucharest, the organizer of the finals for the class of his graduation year (law diploma state exams, 2000).

Mararu graduated the "Zinca Golescu" National College of Pitești, Argeș County, with majors in physics and chemistry, one of the top national colleges in Romania with a century old tradition in excellence and constant performance in nationwide scientific and educational competitions.

Key US National Security Law Considerations for Global Data Center Projects

Continuing Legal Education Webinar, ABA-Accredited CLE Distance Learning Programming | May 12, 2026

Attended program covered Investment Security (outbound and inbound), Data Security, Supply Chain Security, US Data Center Validated End-User (VED) Program, the US Export Controls Stack, Key Developments Laying the Foundation for "High Probability" Enforcement, Recent Enforcement Activity (Real World Examples: Subsidiary's Entity-Shifting, Mix-and-Match Between Regulatory Regimes), Misperceived Loopholes, and Practical & Actionable Risk Mitigation Solutions

Global Distribution - Challenges and Solutions

Continuing Legal Education Webinar, ABA-Accredited CLE Distance Learning Programming | April 30, 2026

Attended program covered:

• Exclusive, Franchise, Selective, Open Distribution and Commercial Agency Models
• Online Distribution (e-Commerce) main models (third party and direct-to-consumer marketplaces, hybrid model)
• Key Contractual Issues (allocation of roles, pricing control vs. Ccompetition law constraints, internet resale constraints, data access and ownership)
• Regulatory Challenges (platform regulation, e.g. P2B Regulation, DMA, consumer protection and liability allocation, cross-border compliance, e.g. VAT and product regulations)
• Strategic Risks (loss of brand control and price erosion, channel conflict with distributors, data access and ownership - customer data, analytics),
• AI in Logistics (data-driven operations, automated decision making, algorithmic optimization)

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Aerospace Security Project 

Attended the inaugural Space Strategic Dialogue: “Space and the Future of Warfare,” the CSIS' Aerospace Security Project launch event held on April 21, 2026 in Washington, D.C.

This high-level forum featured a fireside chat with General Stephen N. Whiting, Commander of U.S. Space Command, and expert panel discussions with senior government, intelligence, and industry leaders: Tony Frazier/LeoLabs, Even Rogers/True Anomaly, Mike Gancio/Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Chirag Parikh. 

The program delivered rare, strategic insights – once largely confined to classified settings – into the contested space domain, including emerging threats and counterspace capabilities from near-peer adversaries (co-orbital operations, cyber/jamming, directed-energy threats), space domain awareness, maneuver warfare and integrated service defense doctrines, deterrence and resilience strategies, international alliances and norms (such as the Outer Space Treaty and multilateral operations like Olympic Defender), and the practical challenges of commercial-military integration – such as contractual augmentation reserves, liability frameworks, space assets insurance belli tempora implications, data-sharing, classification barriers, the integration of commercial capabilities in multidomain operations.

These strategic perspectives directly enhance advisory capabilities on defense and security contracts, public acquisitions, PPPs, R&D, ITAR/EAR-aligned dual-use export controls, cybersecurity obligations under the EU NIS2 Directive and Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), Outer Space Treaty norms, and compliance with the evolving EU Space Act and Artemis Accords – critical for clients navigating Romania’s space, aviation, cyber-defense, and defense sectors.

‍AI Usage Best Practices and Board Duties‍

Continuing Legal Education Webinar, ABA-Accredited CLE Distance Learning Programming | April 15, 2026

Attended program covered:

• Framing the AI Landscape for Boards of Directors,
• Fiduciary Duties in the Age of AI (Public Company Disclosure Obligations, Core Principles, Duty of Care, Duty of Oversight, Business Judgment Rule)
• Understanding AI Risks and what Boards Must Oversee,
• Boardroom Use of AI – Best Practices, Strategies, Governance Operating Model, Core Controls, Higher-Risk Uses, Reporting, Red Flags and Responses

Technology M&A: Cutting-Edge Issues and Recent Trends in the Technology Sector

Continuing Legal Education Webinar, ABA-Accredited CLE Distance Learning Programming | April 14, 2026

Attended program covered:

• US & EU Technology M&A Market Review, Trends and Drivers
• Structuring Issues
• Regulatory Issues
• Controlling Stockholders in M&A Transactions
• Preliminary Deal Process and Use of Trade Secrets and Relevant California Recent Case Law (Propel Fuels, Inc. v. Phillips 66 Company, Case No. 22CV007197, Superior Court of California, Alameda County, 2025)

eVTOL - Infrastructure and Utilities

Continuing Legal Education Webinar, ABA-Accredited CLE Distance Learning Programming | March 24, 2026

Keynote Speaker – Mr. Rex Alexander, President & Executive Director Five-Alpha LLC, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Attended program covered: Core Infrastructure Requirements for eVTOL Operations:

• Vertiports, Charging Stations, Energy Storage Systems, Passenger and Operational Facilities (Infrastructure Designs, Ecosystem, FAA Regulatory Framework, Certification Requirements, Safety Considerations for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Infrastructure, Downwash and Outwash Risks and Considerations)
• Incorporating Vertiports into Existing Infrastructure (heliports, airports, rooftop landing facilities, parking structures, urban transportation hubs, zoning & permitting, environmental reviews)
• Quantifying Operational Risks, AI for Land Area Risk Analysis
• Utility & Energy Readiness Challenges and Partnerships
• Vertiports Ownership Models
• Legal Risk Mitigation Strategies

Artificial Intelligence in the Context of M&A Transactions

Continuing Legal Education Webinar, ABA-Accredited CLE Distance Learning Programming | March 24, 2026

Attended program covered:

• Compliance with Law
• Vendor Work Product
• Liability and Warranty Considerations
• AI Use Policy Issues
• Key AI Trends, Deal Market
• Gathering Intelligence in M&A Deals (Organizational Principles, Background Diligence - Business Context, Risks)
• AI Reps and Warranties (Sensitive Data, License Compliance, IP Ownership, Infringement, Risky Use Cases, AI Use Cases in Merges & Acquisitions)
• AI-Powered Contract Management

EU AI Act and Related EU Copyright Issues

Continuing Legal Education Webinar, ABA-Accredited CLE Distance Learning Programming | March 19, 2026

Attended program covered:

• EU AI Act (Applicability, Regulation of AI Systems and GPAI Models, Jurisdictional Reach, Enforcement, Grandfathering Exceptions, NCAs)
• EU Copyright and AI (Pre-training, Training, Output & Copyright, Copyright Enforcement, Legal Basis, EU Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market, Exceptions, Attribution and Liability)
• Case Studies

AI, eDiscovery, and Information Governance

Continuing Legal Education Webinar, ABA-Accredited CLE Distance Learning Programming | March 18, 2026

Attended program covered: eDiscovery & AI, Recent Case Law Related to AI and Attorney-Client Privilege and Work Product, the Ethical Implications of AI, Applicable Ethical Rules (ABA), Considerations for Business Use of AI

AI and Algorithmic Pricing 2026 – Antitrust Outlook and Compliance Considerations

ABA CLE Accredited Course, Distance Learning Programming | March 4, 2026

IP & Patents Lecture Series 2024-2025 of the European Space Agency's Technology Transfer and Patent Office

Attended series comprised of 9 modules:‍

• Patent Database Masterclass – Espacenet (EPO), Patent Center (USPTO), Google Patents, Patbase, Patseer, Parsnip, Patently
• Trade Secrets (Trade Secret Directive 2016/943, Legal Basis for Breaches, Obligations, Court Remedies, Contractual Protections, Recommended Policies,
• Litigation – Pre-litigation Options, Injunctions, Arbitration, Mediation, Litigation Venue, UP vs EPC, Unified Patent Court
• Design Around
• Preparation for the Patent Process
• Oppositions and Third-Party Observations
• Due Diligence – Investment/Investors Considerations (TradeMarks, Patents, Designs), Trails of Ownership, Commercially Valuable Assets, IP, Know-how and Trade Secrets Audits and Valuations, License Audits, R&D Entanglements, IP Holding Company Options, Strategic Good Practices, Internal Processes for Capturing Inventions
• Licensing – Licensing In and Out, Types of Licenses and Scope, License Considerations, Commercial Terms, Use-Case Scenarios
  
  • Rocket Lab's Frontier S Radio (baseline telemetry and control radio for all Rocket Labs Photon missions) based on the Frontier Radio developed by the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) at John Hopkins University
  • Starlink's licensing the design of its end-use equipment (theoretical case)
• Patent Claims Dissection

Ioan Mararu has full business and legal proficiency in

• English (native)
• French (near native)
• Romanian (native)

• Revised and negotiated subcontractor agreements for the Bucharest Fiber Optic Densification Project, ensuring regulatory compliance and cost efficiencies.
• Complex corporate, employment & labor, real-estate, transfer pricing, cross-border agreements, safety & security etc. matters arising in the establishment, authorization and operation of Ericsson’s Global Support & Delivery Center (GSDC) in Bucharest
  
• Complex legal assistance and representation for Tata Consultancy Services, a major global outsourcing consulting services corporation, part of the Indian Tata Group, on various corporate matters and framework outsourcing/subcontractor agreements for software and telecommunications systems maintenance, support and development implicating legal advise concerning IPRs, banking, payroll tax & social contributions incidence, service level implications, corporate taxation, double taxation and other international taxation matters, VAT and profit repatriation, cross-border secondment of personnel etc.
  
• Drafting legal opinions, negotiating with the Ministry of Information Technology and Communications, drafting legislation, preparing documentation and due diligence for regional state aid schemes for large investments of € 30M+ (investment aid, employment aid, training aid) for the Global Support and Delivery Center (GSDC) established by Ericsson Telecommunications Romania
  
• Public acquisition litigation (Siemens Enterprise Communications Austria and Romania vs. the Ministry of Interior and Ericsson Telecommunications Romania, for the annulment of the public procedure outcome awarding a € 10 M telecommunication systems, software, equipments, secrecy, communications protection and radio services supply contract within the 4th phase of Ministry of Interior’s voice-data network development
  
• Advising upon and drafting business outsourcing agreements (business services, technological solutions, client relations management, supply chains, IT infrastructure and software services) by BRD SocGen, Dacia-Renault, Arcellor Mittal and OMV-Petrom
• Assisted in personnel and technology outsourcing for Romania's largest landline telecom operator, including commutation department transfers.
• Drafted and negotiated real-estate and industrial property sale agreements for foreign investors, optimizing tax structures under double taxation treaties.
• Provided tender documentation review, due diligence and bid support for a Canadian investment bank's USD 266 million privatization bid in Romania's copper mining sector.
• Won a court dispute for the annulment of the Ministry of Interior’s public acquisition procedure outcome, awarding our client, a major 3G-5G network equipment manufacturer and operator, a €10M telecommunication systems, software, equipments, security technology, communications protection and radio services supply contract against a major Austrian competitor and it's Romanian subsidiary (plaintiffs). The contract was awarded within the 4th phase of Ministry of Interior’s voice-data network development, the extension of the national electronic information signalling system organized by the Ministry of Economy and Finance - the Office for Payments and Contracting PHARE, part of the Schengen Facility Program.
• Mararu & Mararu successfully represented a group of security companies representing almost 80% of the Romanian security industry (among which, for example, the Bidepa group of security companies, G4S Security and G4S Cash Services, Bronic Security, Nei Guard, UTI Systems, BGS Security, Dragon Star Protection, Scorseze Security International and others) organized in the largest security employers organization in Romania, the Security Employers Association (PSS), in a case versus the Romanian Government (the Secretary General) and the Ministry of Interior of Romania, for the annulment of the Government Decision 519 of 2004 for the establishment of the the model of security agents  equipment, published in the Official Gazette of Romania 349/2004, saving over €10M in unwarranted costs for the Romanian security industry.
• Tender documentation assessment, bid formation, service contract revision, negotiation and execution with Societatea Nationala de Radiocomunicatii-SRR
• Tender documentation assessment, bid formation, contract revision, negotiation and execution for fiber optic network development for Vodafone Romania S.A.
• Tender documentation assessment, bid formation, contract revision, negotiation and execution for 2G and 3G layered architecture service system support service agreements for Cosmote Romania S.A.
• Outsourcing of the commutation/switch and electrical supply departments of Romtelecom SA, Romania’s biggest landline telecomm operator by Ericsson Telecommunications Romania, implicating a transfer of personnel of 400 employees, property, lease, utilities and corporate/business/regulatory issues concerning 6 regional centers and over 60 of business locations throughout Romania
• Legal counsel, assistance, and representation in front of AVAS, the State Assets Agency, in connection with the annulment of a tender notice and correspondent state title against our client, involving an industrial park as collateral, valued €800,000
• Dispute resolution over a €1.4M financing and further investment for industrial equipment and production line facility
• Complex legal assistance and representation for Tata Consultancy Services, a major global outsourcing consulting services corporation, part of the Indian Tata Group, on various corporate matters and framework outsourcing/subcontractor agreements for software and telecommunications systems maintenance, support and development implicating legal advise concerning IPRs, banking, payroll tax & social contributions incidence, service level implications, corporate taxation, double taxation and other international taxation matters, VAT and profit repatriation, cross-border secondment of personnel etc.
• Drafting legal opinions, negotiating with the Ministry of Information Technology and Communications, drafting legislation, preparing documentation and due diligence for regional state aid schemes for large investments of €30M+ (investment aid, employment aid, training aid) for the Global Support and Delivery Center (GSDC) established by Ericsson Telecommunications Romania
• Public acquisition litigation (Siemens Enterprise Communications Austria and Romania vs. the Ministry of Interior and Ericsson Telecommunications Romania, for the annulment of the public procedure outcome awarding a € 10 M telecommunication systems, software, equipments, secrecy, communications protection and radio services supply contract within the 4th phase of Ministry of Interior’s voice-data network development
• Advising upon and drafting business outsourcing agreements (business services, technological solutions, client relations management, supply chains, IT infrastructure and software services) by BRD SocGen, Dacia-Renault, Arcellor Mittal and OMV-Petrom, on behalf of our U.S. client, Computer Science Corporation (CSC), a multinational corporation that became the largest software company in the United States and the first software company to be listed on the American Stock Exchange.
• Tender documentation assessment, bid formation, contract negotiation, revision and negotiation for various post-guarantee repair service agreements with Societatea Romana de Radiodifuziune - SRR
• Tender documentation assessment, bid formation, contract negotiation, revision and negotiation for supply of telecommunications equipments and accessories for Romtelecom SA
• Tender documentation assessment, bid formation, contract negotiation, revision and negotiation for radio relays repairs service agreements, various telecoms equipments and systems acquisitions, including under the Schengen Facility, by the Special Telecommunications Service -STS
• Tender documentation assessment, bid formation, contract revision, negotiation and execution for telecommunication equipments and systems acquisitions within the “Radio System for the Moldavian Border Guard and Customs Services Project”
• Tender documentation assessment, bid formation, contract revision, negotiation and execution for the SIS-SINS Signaling System Project within the Schengen Facility
• Various tender documentation assessment, bid formation and contract revision and negotiation for SAP service agreements with major industrial, energy and automotive companies in Romania
• Localized framework outsourcing agreements for a major Indian global consulting firm, adapting to Romanian commercial law for software maintenance and support
• CNSAS (the Romanian National Health Insurance House) e-Card, e-Prescription and Electronic Medical Records tender documentation assessment, bid formation and contract revision and negotiation

Read more of Ioan's representative legal work and projects on each practice area and core industry Ioan specializes in.

Working with Mr. Mararu and his team is a true pleasure!! Always coming with high quality and professional advice. As Senior partner, the services by Mr. Mararu are supportin Ericsson in performing our business activities under a secured environment.

Maurizio de Dominicis,

President, Ericsson North Balkans

Read all of Ioan's professional recommendations on LinkedIn →