Renato, co-chair of Barclay Damon's Data Security & Technology Practice Area, focuses his practice on counseling clients in the areas of data privacy, cybersecurity, intellectual property, and commercial transactions. Renato applies his engineering background and grasp of technology to help bring clarity and practical solutions to complex interplays between technology and law. Leveraging his experience as a registered patent attorney and a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US)[1], Renato assists companies and entrepreneurs with contracts; licensing; privacy and cybersecurity policies and programs; complex business transactions; dispute resolution; intellectual property strategies; and patent, trademark, and copyright applications. He has counseled clients in a wide array of industries, including health care, financial services, education, software-as-a-service (SaaS), gaming, telecommunications, and electric power utility. Stemming from his passion for innovation, Renato finds joy in guiding clients in the research, development, and prelaunch stages with respect to regulatory compliance and risk mitigation. Notably, Renato performs design reviews to help clients identify design changes to better align their offerings with applicable laws and legal strategies relating to privacy, data security, automated decision-making, intellectual property, and advertising.
For online and offline transactions, Renato counsels clients and drafts and negotiates numerous types of contracts, including website and online terms of use, privacy policies, privacy notices, cookie policies, accessibility policies, platform services agreements (PSAs), SaaS agreements, end user license agreements (EULAs), service level agreements (SLAs), data protection agreements (DPAs), mobile app license agreements, master services agreements (MSAs), master license agreements (MLAs), sponsored research agreements (SRAs), and material transfer agreements as well as agreements involving confidentiality; patent, trademark, and copyright licensing; collaboration; joint development, technology transfers; asset purchases; sponsored research; software; the use and marketing of artificial intelligence (AI) tools; product development; manufacturing; distribution; brand development; and copyright releases.
In addition, Renato counsels clients in highly regulated sectors, including financial services, with respect to their privacy and data practices, including the development and implementation of written information security programs (WISPs), incident response plans (IRPs), and other data-related policies and procedures. In this area, Renato addresses compliance with an array of privacy laws, data security laws, and AI-related laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and other state laws focused on comprehensive consumer privacy, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Gramm-Leach Bliley Act (GLBA), the New York State Department of Financial Services Cybersecurity Requirements for Financial Services Companies (DFS Cybersecurity Regulation), the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and the US Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Renato has conducted dispute resolution and contract negotiations in the United States and abroad, including in Australia, Europe, and Taiwan, drafting settlement, termination, and amendment agreements involving infringement and breach of contract disputes. In connection with infringement disputes, Renato has performed analyses related to intellectual property infringement, design-around, and invalidity strategies. Renato has also assisted clients with responding to music license demands from performing rights organizations, and Renato has submitted complaints to social media platforms, resulting in the takedown of infringing content.
Additionally, Renato has drafted and prosecuted hundreds of patent applications for inventions in the software, electrical, and mechanical industries that include software-based solutions, mobile apps, medical devices, surgical systems, telecommunication devices, antennas, electronic gaming devices and systems, vehicles, power equipment and machinery, computer hardware, and consumer appliances.
In addition to his own practice, Renato serves as DEI advisor to Barclay Damon’s Summer Associate Program.
[1] The Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States (CIPP/US) certificate, issued by the International Association of Privacy Professionals, is not a requirement to practice law in Illinois. The Supreme Court of Illinois does not recognize certifications of specialties in the practice of law.