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Meet Our Professionals

William B. Cannon

Partner
Technology Industry Team Leader
Raleigh | 919.835.4654
Fax | 919.834.4564

Will Cannon helps clients negotiate technology contracts, develop innovative products, and safeguard their intellectual property rights. He is skilled at analyzing contracts and explaining legal complexity, walking clients through the information they need to complete a deal or refine a product.

Will represents Fortune 500 companies, midsize manufacturers, public and private colleges, startups, and individual clients. He enjoys collaborating with clients via technology to function as a fully integrated member of their teams, including in providing counsel on product development. He has negotiated multimillion-dollar deals with some of the country's largest social media and software companies. He also manages the trademark portfolios of universities across North Carolina and is the former leader of Parker Poe's Education Industry Team.

Will is a North Carolina State Bar board-certified specialist in trademark law and co-chairs the NC Bar Association's Intellectual Property Licensing Committee. He also leads Parker Poe's Technology Industry Team and serves on the firm's Artificial Intelligence (AI) Committee, which drives the firm's efforts to deliver the most value to clients through AI.

In addition, he is experienced with contracts involving cloud software, data sharing, distribution and supply, logistics, disaster recovery, and other areas. He has advised clients on both sides of franchise agreements, whether they are looking to open a local franchise or want to sell their business using that model.

Outside of work, Will uses his understanding of intellectual property to serve nonprofits in North Carolina. He provides pro bono services to the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, Carroll's Kitchen, A Place at the Table, Pretty in Pink Foundation, Kanuga, Water for Wildlife, and other organizations. The NC Bar Association's Intellectual Property Section has honored Will with its Outstanding Achievement Pro Bono Award.

In 2019, the Triangle Business Journal named Will among the 40 top business leaders under the age of 40 in the region.

Representative Experience

  • Negotiated multimillion-dollar technology contracts, including software licenses, cloud services agreements, development agreements, electronic medical record agreements, and consulting services agreements.
  • Provided counsel on the development of virtual reality and other technology products for a leading global technology company.  
  • Conducted website audits to evaluate and strengthen companies' website terms and conditions and end-user “click-through” agreements.
  • Advised companies on privacy laws, including the FACT Act, state security breach statutes, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and the FTC Act.
  • Oversaw trademark selection, registration, maintenance, and enforcement on behalf of clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to private entities and individuals.
  • Assisted franchisors establishing franchise systems, and counsels franchisees evaluating franchise opportunities.
  • Counseled startup entrepreneurs and developers on the contractual protection of their apps and other intellectual property.
  • Addressed online infringement, including recapturing infringing domain names and shutting down infringing websites.
  • Litigated trademark opposition and cancellation proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
  • Represented public and private universities in connection with the protection of their trademark portfolios.
  • Represented credit unions in connection with technology contracts, service agreements and privacy regulations.

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Honors & Awards

  • North Carolina Bar Board Certified Specialist in Trademark Law
  • The Best Lawyers in America in Corporate Law, 2024-2025; Commercial Transactions/UCC Law, 2025; Trademark, 2025
  • World Trademark Review 1000: The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals, 2023-2024
  • Triangle Business Journal's 40 Under 40, 2019
  • Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers in Intellectual Property, 2013-2015, 2017-2019
  • North Carolina Bar Association's Outstanding Achievement Pro Bono Award for the IP Section, 2017
  • Business North Carolina magazine's "Legal Elite" in Intellectual Property, 2016-2020, 2022; Young Guns, 2016
  • North Carolina Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2013-2020

Memberships

  • North Carolina State Bar, Board of Specialization Trademark Law Committee, 2023-present
  • North Carolina Bar Association Intellectual Property Law Section, Licensing Committee, Co-Chair, 2018-present; Trademarks, Copyrights, and Trade Secrets Committee, Co-Chair, 2017-2018
  • Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, Board of Directors, 2019-present
  • Parker Poe Artificial Intelligence Committee, 2023-present