Jackson Walker's Internet Law Group has an extensive practice that provides clients with expertise in all aspects of the Internet including agreements, security, jurisdiction, privacy, taxation and many other issues. The firm has both the resources and the commitment to respond to the rapidly changing business climate of electronic commerce in order to meet our clients' needs.

Jackson Walker has acquired considerable experience in helping clients "go on-line," particularly those clients who already have substantial business operations. The firm's expertise includes adapting a client's existing business operations to the Internet and providing creative solutions to complex e-commerce relationships.

The Internet Law group is also involved in numerous speaking engagements and publications. One of the group's members has published an article on Internet Advertising in the Journal of Internet Law (showcased on the publication's cover). Numerous Jackson Walker attorneys have contributed chapters to the E-Copyright Law Handbook, published by Aspen Law & Business, to produce a definitive treatise to protecting copyright and intellectual property assets on the Internet.

Much of the firm's strength with respect to Internet law lies in the support of our diverse practice areas. For example, Jackson Walker's Intellectual Property group has helped clients protect against intellectual property infringement on the Internet and in getting their domain names registered as trademarks. The Tax practice has advised clients on multi-jurisdiction Internet sales taxation issues including interpretation of The Internet Tax Freedom Act.

In addition to negotiating and drafting numerous on-line agreements, the practice group has advised clients on structuring on-line businesses; drafted distributor agreements for on-line companies with traditional "off-line" sales forces; assisted a multi-level marketing client set up its Internet website and enforce its on-line policies; designed a developer's agreement for an on-line music library; negotiated website developer agreements, Internet banking software agreements and all agreements and regulatory compliance associated with capitalization of high tech companies, from private placements to IPOs; and defended allegations made by a state securities commissioner alleging 10b-5-type violations relating to messages posted on Internet message boards.

Jackson Walker recognizes the opportunities that e-commerce presents, and has spent years gaining the knowledge and experience to help its clients meet the challenges of Cyberspace.

Data Security and Privacy

Jackson Walker has substantial experience guiding clients through data privacy related issues. We work with our clients in their development of policies related to data collection from their customers and development of appropriate privacy policies. Additionally, we guide clients on other privacy issues, including data security and regulatory compliance; commercial transactions that implicate or focus on the use of personal information; best practices for information handling; formulation of responses to security breaches and inadvertent disclosures of personal information relating to employees or customers; and implementation of privacy policies and training programs.

We also assist clients regarding privacy issues that arise out of business transactions (mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and co-branding arrangements), and we work with our clients in navigating these issues as they negotiate their relationships with outside service providers such as managed hosts, software or portal vendors and payment processing services. For example, we have substantial experience assisting clients with negotiating the necessary terms to meet their Sarbanes-Oxley requirements for internal controls of data.

Finally, many of our clients strategically use outbound online marketing, and we assist them with these projects and all related compliance obligations. For example, we have advised clients with respect to the collection and use of personal information in the context of promotional contests and other direct marketing campaigns and compliance on a 50-state basis with contest regulation. We have also guided clients through the adoption of social media policies for their employees and incorporation of user-generated content in their web media, equipping them to get the message out without violating applicable regulations such as securities laws and Federal Trade Commission Guidelines and addressing intellectual property and other risks. Finally, we work with clients in the adoption and evolution of their document management policies so that they can continue to be current with regulations, requirements and best practices for privacy, e-discovery, and document retention.

Our clients include both public and private retailers, content providers, hardware and software companies, and payment systems providers. We also have many attorneys who have served for multiple years on the Committee on E-Commerce for the Texas Bar Association's Business Law Section, including service on the special committee on privacy and security issues, which watches national trends and advises the state legislature as to the Bar's recommendations on relevant of legislation. We also have extensive relationships internationally to assist our clients in compliance with privacy and data security regulations in other jurisdictions.

Our lawyers are viewed as insightful and pragmatic resources to practitioners and businesses alike and are regularly asked to speak on issues related to data protection, data hosting and management, and document retention, as highlighted by recent presentations to the Association of Corporate Counsel and the State Bar of Texas as well as the number one Google-ranked HIPAA blog, from Jackson Walker partner Jeff Drummond, addressing not only the privacy of health care information, but also trends in other privacy laws.