Information Technology & Public Policy, the PITCOM journal

About Pitcom

Michele is Head of Intellectual Property and Internet law at Computalaw Limited, based in Europe with U.K. offices in London, Edinburgh and Jersey which gives on-line advice through www.computalaw.com. Michele has specialised in intellectual property and Internet law worldwide since 1980 and has acted as legal adviser to hundreds of IT companies around the world, including many multi-nationals. Most recently, Michele is also legal advisor to the award winning digital signature company SignASP with which company Computalaw has just entered into a strategic alliance to offer digital signature facilities through the Computalaw website.

Michele has been a member of the International Bar Association Committee on International Computer and Technology Law since 1980. She was also chairman of the British Computer Society Ecommerce Legal Task Group (1999-2004) and was also a member of the Intellectual Property and Electronic Commerce working parties of the European Informatics Market (EURIM). Over the last 18 months Michele has also been legal advisor to The CTOSE Foundation which was established in January 2004 to promote the results of the European Commision sponsored CTOSE project on Cybercrime.

Publications: Michele is also a regular conference speaker and is author of severa publications of International Computer and Internet Contracts and Law (sweet & Maxwell/Thomson) in 1985, 1989, and the latest in 1994-2005 which is updated annually. The publication contains over 4000 pages of computer and internet contracts and intellectual property relating to Europe, USA, Japan, Australia and the Internet.

Michelle is also Editor of Computer & Telecommunications Law Review (CTLR) for which she edits and write IPR articles. She has also written fro the British Government's Parlimentary Information Technology Committee Journal (Pitcom). Another aspect of her advisory work involves writing/contributing to briefing papers and Research documents for UK Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) through her membership of European Informatics (EURIM) and the British Computer Society.

David is Of Counsel in the New York City office of White & Case LLP, where he specializes in litigation, transactional matters and counseling in the areas of Privacy, Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law. He previously served as head of AT&T’s IP Litigation Department, where he was responsible for all IP litigation brought by or against any Bell System company. He is a past President of the Computer Law Association.

Publications: David is the author of COMPUTER LAW, a four-volume treatise published by Lexis-Nexis Matthew Bender and updated twice annually. He is also a member of the Editorial Boards of Computer Lawyer, Cyberspace Lawyer, and Computer Technology Law Report, and has written numerous law review articles in the fields of IT Law, IP Law and Antitrust Law. David has made presentations on various topics in those fields at more than 200 seminars in the United States and some 15 other countries, and is the author of several dozen papers published in diverse seminar handbooks.

David has a Sc.B. in Applied Math from Brown University, an LL.B. from the University of Pennsylvania, an LL.M. in Patent Law from George Washington University, and an S.J.D. (specializing in Computer Law) from George Washington. In a previous life, David served as an engineer with Ford Aerospace, and as a mathematician with Hughes Aircraft.

Steve is chairman of the intellectual property and information technology law department at the Minneapolis-based law firm of Leonard, Street and Deinard, where he represents clients throughout the United States in development projects, transactions and litigation involving computer and information technology. He is also an experienced arbitrator and mediator of complex disputes involving intellectual property and technical subject matter.

Steve is a former president of the Computer Law Association and an adjunct professor of information technology law at the University of Minnesota Law School. He serves on the editorial boards of several leading information technology law journals and has appeared on the faculties of more than 100 information technology law conferences in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Steve’s colleagues: Mical Kapsner Griffin and Scott Bergs also contributed to International Computer and Internet Contracts and Law.

Scott is an associate in Leonard, Street and Deinard’s Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law Department. His practice is focused in the areas of technology (computer and telecommunications) and intellectual property law. Scott has a great deal of experience in a wide variety of technology transactional matters. Scott is on the Board of Directors of the Computer Law Association and is a member of the MSBA Computer and Communications Law Sections and the Internet law committee.

Publications: Scott is a frequent speaker on technology and IP legal issues and has written several articles on such topics, including, Open, Click and Download; What Have I Agreed To? The Possibilities Seem Endless published in Raymond T. Nimmer, Software and Database Licensing: Current Trends and Proposed New Laws, p. 687 (Practicing Law Institute 1999), co-authored with Stephen J. Davidson.

Anna is a partner at Clayton Utz, Brisbane, Australia. Her practice involves laws affecting communications, particularly technology and intellectual property law.

Publications: She is Author of Credit Acts Handbook (Law Book Company, 1986), co-author of Computer Contracts: Principles & Precedents - Computer Contracts Section (Butterworths). She has also published over 200 articles in professional and technical journals.

Philip is a solicitor and Advocat at the Paris bar, based in Brussels. He is also a graduate of the College of Europe, Bruges, Belgium. He is a partner of Steptoe & Johnson LLP, a US firm of lawyers with its head office in Washington DC. His practice concentrates on Community law and French law, in particular in relation to cross-border provision of services, data protection, competition law and financial services.

Takashi is an attorney-at-law at Frantech Law Office Tokyo. His practice involves computer-related contract law; Unfair Competition Prevention Law; Trademark, copyright, Product Liability, company law, franchising and intellectual property law and international finance. He has studied at Keio University, Japan, Cornell University Law School, USA and Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London. He is a member of Dai-ni Tokyo Bar Association, Japan Trademark Association, Risk Management Consultant Association of Japan and of the Committee on Unfair Competition Prevention Law (Institute of Intellectual Property).

Publications:He is the author of "Computer Program and Database Protection in Japan" (co-authored by Kei Amemiya) (in English language) "Franchisor's Duty to Disclose under Franchise Agreement at its Conclusion" (1994) (in Japanese language) "Franchisee's Confidentiality Duty and Non-Competition Duty under Franchise Agreement" (1995) (in Japanese language) "Franchise Agreement and Product Liability Law" (1995) (in Japanese language) "Bankruptcy Issues under Franchise System" (1997) (in the Japanese language) "Copyright Issues on Graphics" (included in "Copyright Issues on Homepages" edited by Internet Lawyers Conference, 1997) (in the Japanese language).