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. His principal areas of focus include: (1) Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations governing cable TV service/equipment and video relay services (VRS); (2) data privacy regulations and compliance; and (3) intellectual property issues regarding technical standards.

Mr. Buono has represented cable operators, equipment manufacturers, video programmers, and software companies in major FCC rulemakings over the last 16 years, as well as in administrative adjudications regarding the FCC’s program access, program carriage, navigation device, effective competition, and must-carry rules. Mr. Buono also participated at every level in the cable industry’s efforts to help shape the deregulatory telecommunications legislation that ultimately became the Telecommunications Act of 1996. 

Mr. Buono develops policies and compliance plans for clients regarding data privacy laws in the U.S. and abroad, including how best to respond to breaches of customer data.

Mr. Buono counsels various clients on intellectual property (IP) issues raised by their participation in national and international technical standards-setting organizations (such as IEEE, IETF, ISO, ITU, OASIS, and W3C), and negotiates acceptable IP policies and licensing agreements with these organizations and their members in order to minimize clients’ IP risks.

Mr. Buono is an expert on the FCC’s rules governing the provision of video relay services (VRS) to the hearing-impaired community, and has helped clients obtain significant changes to these rules that have improved their business operations.

Mr. Buono also manages a team of attorneys assisting clients to secure telecommunications and related licenses in numerous countries throughout the world, and to negotiate contracts for the carriage of video programming on cable TV and other delivery systems.

Mr. Buono is a member of the Federal Communications Bar Association ("FCBA") and served as the co-Chairman of the FCBA’s Cable Practice Committee from 2003-2004 and 2005-2006. He has authored numerous articles on communications, intellectual property, and Internet law.

Mr. Buono is also a member of the President’s Council of the Higher Achievement Program, a non-profit organization providing educational services to underprivileged youth in the D.C. area.

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

• "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