New developments in information technology can be worth millions, but only if businesses protect their valued research, products and methods. Those in the IT industry must also balance the intellectual property rights of their own innovations with the rights of copyright holders who created the content that IT delivers to the public. Open source software, software licensing negotiations and technology transfer all come with the potential for legal disputes for information technology producers, vendors and users. And because information technology is integral to businesses in virtually every industrial sector, it’s important to work with a law firm that has insight into and understanding of those different sectors as well as IT issues.
Our attorneys accept the reality that IT products and methods are developed faster than the laws to regulate them, and that some laws, such as tax laws, could not have anticipated the advent of such technology and its new form of “property.” Several of our intellectual property attorneys represent IT clients on matters ranging from prosecuting patents, to communicating with clients on the risks and benefits of open source software, to litigating all manner of intellectual property issues.
The building of computer data centers also entails unique legal considerations related to intellectual property, real estate, utility and other areas of law. One of our real estate attorneys is one of the few in the nation knowledgeable in the real estate issues affecting large computer data centers, and has even published on the subject. In short, our attorneys have as dynamic a practice as the industry demands.