Technology Licensing and Internet Law

The attorneys in our Business Group regularly counsel clients in these two very important areas. A business will often license its technology to another as a key element of its overall strategy. Both the licensor and the licensee need to be protected, to the extent possible, by the license or technology transfer agreement. Clients may need advice on Open Source software licensing. Sometimes two businesses will enter an agreement to develop technology jointly. Technology transfers and licensing are important components of our Business and Intellectual Property practices. We have extensive experience in confronting and resolving the business and legal issues that affect the negotiation, documentation and implementation of sharing technology. We routinely assist our clients on licensing of software, biotechnology, trademarks, patents, copyrights and trade secrets, and the negotiation, drafting and implementation of related VAR, OEM and distributorship agreements.

No single area symbolizes the extension of technology and its effect on business, markets and our daily lives more than the internet. Courts and legislatures are trying to reconcile the application of traditional legal principles to completely new forms of information and communication: Should traditional principles be applied to cyberspace? Our Business Group is actively involved with our clients in confronting the issues that confront businesses whose markets have no boundaries and where entrepreneurs venture “off the map.” We help clients with jurisdictional questions, taxation, defamation, cybersquatting/domain name disputes, security and privacy issues, electronic signature implementation, web-hosting and service-level agreements, and terms of use policies. The internet is not the exclusive domain of high-technology – on the contrary, it is potentially the “mall” of the future and every business will have its place. But the boundaries of legal regulation are still being determined and every business that ventures forth will need a guide.