Technology Transactions and Intellectual Property

Patton Boggs’ TechComm group, in conjunction with the Intellectual Property Department, is highly skilled in the variety of legal considerations faced by technology, high-tech, Internet, and e-commerce businesses, including technology transfers, technology transactions, and export control. We assist with acquisition and sale of high-tech and Internet companies and technologies. We draft and negotiate web site development and web-related software contracts. We obtain domain names, trademarks, and service marks to assist our clients in branding their web sites and showcasing their products and services. Our team also drafts and negotiates content licenses, and assists our clients in obtaining the necessary content rights, while reviewing and negotiating e-commerce and online affiliation contracts.

We assist clients in developing marketing and email programs that comply with legal requirements. In addition, we review advertising materials and assist clients in complying with relevant FTC regulations and principles as well as state regulations, and review proposed sweepstakes and contests for compliance with state and federal laws and regulations. We counsel clients on fair use, publicity, defamation, and other content-related issues and assist them in developing and implementing a trademark enforcement plan to guard against unauthorized uses of a client’s marks or other intellectual property. We assist clients in policing against online copyright infringements. When necessary, we send “cease and desist” letters to those infringing client rights and take other action as necessary. For instance, we have brought UDRP arbitration proceedings to obtain control over infringing domain names, and we have filed federal lawsuits to halt infringements of our clients’ copyrights and trademarks.

Finally, we represent technology clients before Congress and regulatory agencies to advance legislation that affect technology interests, and to keep clients apprised of Congressional activities that impact the high-tech, Internet, and e-commerce industry.