Technology

Overview

Some of the world’s leading technology companies turn to Parker Poe for their legal needs, as do a range of clients across industries who are using technology to improve their businesses.

Clients rely on Parker Poe's Technology Industry Team to negotiate hundreds of sophisticated technology contracts every year, including multimillion-dollar deals involving some of the largest software, social media, manufacturing, and life sciences companies around the globe. They turn to us to achieve their compliance goals while integrating technological advances, like generative artificial intelligence (AI), at speed and scale. They depend on us for wraparound intellectual property services, including obtaining and enforcing patents, trademarks, and copyrights. They also seek our counsel on data privacy and cybersecurity, government relations, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, and a variety of other legal needs.

They turn to us because of our deep experience at the intersection of technology, business, and the law. We have a command of not only the technological nuances but also why they matter and how they impact business strategy.

Our team serves clients in the software, manufacturing, retail, life sciences, and fintech industries, among others. These clients range from Fortune 500 giants and innovative subsidiaries to midsize businesses and startups. Click the areas of focus below to see examples of how we can help:

Areas of Focus

Negotiating Technology Contracts

As companies increasingly shift to the cloud, adopt new software, and integrate technology into their products and services, it has created a massive demand for complex contract review. We partner with clients to create an efficient, effective system to handle this flow.

It starts with listening so that we understand what is most important to each client, what rises to the level that it needs additional scrutiny, and what can be dealt with quickly. From there, we bring our past experience to bear breaking down complex contracts into everyday language and flagging the terms that are missing that the client may want to include.

The end result is a partnership that eases the burden on the in-house team, accelerates the adoption of new technology, and helps the business accomplish its goals. We have established these partnerships with Fortune 500 companies in several industries, and we now negotiate hundreds of technology contracts a year.

Protecting Intellectual Property

Maximizing the value of intellectual property (IP) is critical in any industry – but none more so than the technology industry. We have significant experience helping technology companies, as well as businesses with a significant technology component, secure and enforce their IP rights. This experience also includes negotiating IP terms in mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and venture capital investments.

We have built a significant depth of knowledge in trademarks, patents, copyrights, trade secrets, and other areas of intellectual property. Our team includes registered U.S. patent attorneys, board certified specialists in trademark law, and lawyers recognized by their peers in the premier guides to the legal profession.

Navigating Data Privacy & Cybersecurity

The accelerating use of technology across industries has created massive amounts of value but also new risks tied to data privacy and cybersecurity. We have counseled technology companies in the U.S. and abroad on data privacy issues, as well as national retailers and other businesses that find themselves under a growing patchwork of data privacy regulations.

We also help clients prepare for and respond to security breaches. We have coordinated responses to data breaches for a number of businesses and other entities, including governmental and quasi-governmental entities. We have guided clients through the intersection of data privacy and AI as well.

Our Cybersecurity & Data Privacy Team members have earned certifications from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), which provides the global gold standard for data privacy certifications, as well as a certification from the North Carolina State Bar Board of Legal Specialization.

Representative Experience

Commercial Contracts

Represented a technology company in a global reseller/licensing agreement for its internet-of-things (IoT) platform.
Represented a leading global life sciences company in all of its software licensing and technology sourcing contracts.
Represented a large retailer in the purchase of more than $1 million of proprietary equipment for brewing coffee and related software to operate the hardware purchased.
Advised a global technology company on a multimillion-dollar contract with a Fortune 100 provider of web access involving multiple sites in California.
Represented an Amsterdam threat intelligence company in U.S. licensing agreements.
Represented a Turkish banking software company establishing a software-as-a-service distribution arrangement for the US and Canada with a US public company.
Represented a public automotive retailer regularly in negotiating contracts for software to support its business operations.
Represented a French-owned company that collects tire pricing and other data from websites, licenses the data, and reports to tire manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers.
Represented a German-owned company in preparing a contract to provide predictive failure services and data for manufacturing equipment in the U.S. based on input from proprietary vibration measuring devices installed on equipment through the manufacturing plant.
Represented a truck manufacturer in preparing a contract to provide performance and maintenance data and recommendations to truck owners and operators based on detection devices installed on new trucks.
Drafted and negotiated subscription and software license agreements, software-as-a-service (SaaS) agreements, and data sharing agreements for a variety of businesses.
Revised contracts for a range of businesses to incorporate technology provisions.

Data Privacy & Cybersecurity

Advised clients across industries on data privacy compliance with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act, the New York Department of Financial Services, and many other governmental agencies and laws.
Represented one of the world’s leading software companies in breach of contract litigation related to data security, as well as designing a database to track the hundreds of claims resulting from a data breach.
Represented many different types of clients in data breach responses and remediation, including technology companies, manufacturers, government entities, and nonprofits.
Drafted a GDPR privacy notice for a venture backed threat intelligence company.

Employment

Handled immigration work for technology companies sponsoring employees for programming, analyst, and other roles.

Environmental

Represented a technology company in relation to environmental conditions caused by the historical manufacture of electronic parts.

Government Relations

Lobbied on behalf of technology companies for privacy laws and a variety of other issues before the North Carolina legislature and Congress.
Represented several technology companies in issues involving state procurement, state and federal appropriations, and international trade.
Advised a global technology company on California state government bid laws.

Government Investigations

Represented a technology company in an inquiry from the New York attorney general regarding website accessibility for disabled people.
Represented the chief financial officer of a fintech startup in a whistleblower claim.

Information Governance

Helped design and implement Georgia-Pacific’s cloud computing risk assessment program and guide the leading global manufacturer through various technology implementations as in-house counsel, including Microsoft Office 365 migrations and mobile application implementations.

Intellectual Property

Counseled an Asian semiconductor company and a global life sciences company on patents and related litigation.
Represented one of the country’s leading providers of video surveillance in a dispute involving trademark infringement, breach of restrictive covenants, and modification of a master services agreement and statement of work.
Represented a global technology company in a trademark dispute involving another company’s attempt to resell its technology to South American customers.

Mergers & Acquisitions

Advised a publicly traded software company in the $50 million stock acquisition of a company that provides scholarship management software to higher education and K-12 institutions, foundations, and grant-making institutions.
Represented a fintech company in the sale of substantially all of its assets to a publicly traded and leading online lender for up to $21 million.
Assisted a software company in several intergroup mergers to consolidate corporate structure after acquiring a target business.
Assisted Swiss technology company in its dissolution of a subsidiary New York corporation and formation of a Colorado corporation.

Outside General Counsel

Served as outside general counsel to a small business in the technology industry, counseling on strategic direction as well as day-to-day policy, procedure, enforcement, and employment issues.
Served as outside general counsel to a technology-focused staffing company for 20 years.
Served as outside general counsel to a technology-focused business in the music industry, counseling on strategic and operational issues, including employment, legal compliance, risk management, and private financing.

Venture Capital

Advised corporate venture capital arms and angel investors in debt and equity investments in early stage companies in the technology industry.
Assisted two of the largest U.S. banks in their investments in early stage fintech companies, handling extensive due diligence and drafting of main National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) documents.