Francis M. Buono Partner MAIN OFFICE: Washington Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP 1875 K Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20006-1238, U.S.A. T 202-303-1104 F 202-303-2104

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Francis M. Buono is a partner in the Communications, Media & Privacy Department of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP in Washington, D.C., and is the Chair of Willkie’s Data Privacy & Security practice.

Mr. Buono advises a broad range of clients, including financial institutions, information service providers, and communications companies, on various U.S. and international data privacy and data security laws and issues, including the development of globally effective privacy policies and data security compliance programs; the use of customer data in connection with new business initiatives both online and offline; privacy issues raised by mergers and acquisitions; and the negotiation of complex privacy and data security agreements. He has counseled companies that have experienced data security breaches and prepared appropriate notifications to customers and regulators/agencies, and has represented companies facing enforcement proceedings by federal regulators for possible data privacy and data security violations.

Mr. Buono also manages a team of attorneys who assist clients in obtaining data protection registrations and approvals, handling privacy complaints, and ensuring general compliance with privacy laws in over 60 countries throughout the world, as well as in developing ways to transfer personal and sensitive data from Europe to the U.S. and other countries that are deemed by EU regulators to have inadequate privacy regulations.

Mr. Buono has also represented cable equipment manufacturers, video programmers, and video relay service ("VRS") providers in major FCC rulemakings over the last 20 years, as well as in administrative adjudications regarding the FCC’s program access, program carriage, navigation device, effective competition, cable ownership, rate regulation, must-carry, and VRS rules.

Mr. Buono is a member of the Federal Communications Bar Association (FCBA) and its Privacy & Data Security Committee, and served as the Co-Chair of the FCBA’s Cable Practice Committee from 2003-2004 and 2005-2006. He has authored numerous articles on data privacy, communications, intellectual property, and Internet law.

Mr. Buono was a computer consultant for Georgetown University while attending the Georgetown Law School evening program.

• "Data Security: Breach Notification," PLC Cross-border Data Protection Handbook 2010/11 (co-authored)
  
  
• "Draft Federal Privacy Bill Would Dramatically Affect How a Wide Range of Companies Collect, Use, and Disclose Certain Information About Individuals, Both Online and Offline," Intellectual Property & Technology Law Journal, September 2010 (co-authored)
  
  
• "German Authorities Issue Privacy Decision Clarifying Due Diligence That Must Be Conducted on Companies Using the Safe Harbor Framework to Transfer Personal Data to the United States," BNA Privacy & Data Security Journal, June 2010 (co-authored)
  
  
• "Top Google Executives Found Criminally Liable For Privacy Violations," Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, May 2010 (co-authored)
  
  
• "Trend Spotting: Recognizing The Growing Risk Of IP Litigation Facing OSS Developers And Implementers," The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, September 2008 (co-authored)
  
  
• "All OSS Developers Are Equal, But Some OSS Developers Are More Equal Than Others!" The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, May 2008 (co-authored)
  
  
• "The Power Of Choice: Massachusetts Wisely Embraces Multiple Document Format Standards To Drive Greater Competition And Innovation," The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, February 2008 (co-authored)
  
  
• "GPL Version 3: Two Steps Back For Open Source Licensing, Interoperability, And Open Innovation?," les Nouvelles, June 2007
  
  
• "GPL Version 3: Posing A Threat To Interoperability, Open Innovation, And Customer Choice," The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, April 2007
  
  
• "An Outstanding Group Effort: The Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP Greater DC Community Foundation," The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, August 2005
  
  
• "’Interoperability,’ Not ‘Interchangeability,’" The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, January 2005
  
  
• "The Hype Over Hyperlinked Terms of Service -- They Are Likely Unenforceable," E-Commerce Law Report, January 2001 (co-authored)
  
  
• "Maximizing the Enforceability of Click-Wrap Agreements," E-Commerce Law Report, November 1999, and Journal of Technology Law and Policy, Spring 2000 (co-authored)
  
  
• "Limiting Tort Liability for Online Third-Party Content Under Section 230 of the Communications Act," Federal Communications Law Journal, May 2000 (co-authored), reprinted in The Best in E-Commerce Law, 2001
  
  
• "Using the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to Limit Potential Copyright Liability Online," Richmond Journal of Law & Technology, Winter 1999-2000 (co-authored), reprinted in The Best of in E-Commerce Law, 2001
  
  
• "Emerging Issues in Internet Law," published internally by Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, September 1999 (co-authored)
  
  
• On a Lighter Note, "Requiem for Business Casual," The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, October 2001