MATTHEW STAPLES

Associate
 
Technology Transactions
Global Outsourcing Transactions
Consumer Regulatory & Privacy
Intellectual Property
Privacy & Data Protection
Retail, Consumer & Advertising

EXPERIENCE:

Matthew Staples is an attorney in Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati's Seattle office. Matt represents clients in business transactions involving the development, use, acquisition, monetization, or divestiture of intellectual property and technology, and counsels clients regarding information privacy, data security, e-commerce, and advertising matters. His experience includes representation of companies ranging in size from privately funded companies to large, multinational public companies in a variety of industries.

Matt has experience with a variety of transactions, including the licensing and procurement of software, content, technology, and hardware; the development, distribution, marketing, and resale of products and services; the outsourcing of business processes; and services and consulting relationships.

Matt devotes a significant portion of his practice to counseling clients regarding privacy, data security, and consumer protection matters. Matt works with companies to assess statutory, regulatory, private litigation, and other legal and practical risks. Matt assists his clients with the design and implementation of practical, cost-effective means to eliminate or mitigate identified risks appropriately.

The International Association of Privacy Professionals has designated Matt as a Certified Information Privacy Professional.

Prior to joining Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Matt was an attorney at Perkins Coie LLP in Seattle.

SELECT MATTERS:
  • Conducted enterprise-wide data privacy audits of national wireless telecommunications carrier and leading video-game manufacturer
  • Assisted online behavioral advertising (OBA) technology provider in the development of internal privacy guidelines relating to its OBA preferences directory, its guidelines for behavioral targeting, and its privacy policy, and with the drafting and negotiation of its inbound and outbound data license agreements
  • Counseled several clients regarding appropriate handling of personally identifiable information and other sensitive data in connection with mergers, acquisitions, and other business transactions
  • Counseled online social network platform provider regarding the development of its privacy management functionality and its public-facing privacy policy
  • Counseled online social networking platform provider regarding privacy and consumer protection issues relating to its targeted advertising offerings
  • Counseled clients regarding the CAN-SPAM Act, Telephone Consumer Protection Act, Telephone Sales Rule, junk fax legislation, mobile spam regulations, and other state and federal laws bearing upon marketing communications
  • Assisted several clients, including a number of large public companies, regarding data security breach mitigation and response, including the coordination of nationwide reporting to consumers in compliance with state security breach notification laws
  • Counseled wireless telecommunications carriers regarding location-based privacy, "pretexting," and other issues pertaining to access to, and use and disclosure of, Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI)
  • Counseled clients regarding compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, Payment Application Best Practices, and other security requirements relating to the acceptance of debit and credit cards
  • Counseled mobile payment processing company regarding the development of privacy and security policies and its agreements with merchants and consumers
  • Counseled financial institution in connection with the development and offering of a mobile banking application
  • Assisted several clients with reviewing, assessing, and modifying agreements with vendors and outsourcers to allocate data security risks appropriately
  • Represented wireless telecommunications carrier in the drafting and negotiation of call center outsourcing agreements with service providers in the U.S. and Canada
  • Assisted companies with obtaining U.S.-E.U. and U.S./Switzerland Safe Harbor certification
  • Prepared website privacy policies and terms of use for several clients
  • Counseled developers of platform software, mobile-device applications, and Web-based services regarding privacy, data security, and e-commerce issues
  • Counseled clients regarding compliance with data security requirements imposed by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLB), Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), and state laws, including Massachusetts CMR 17.00
  • Counseled wireless hardware manufacturer regarding the collection and use of location information from wireless devices
  • Counseled clients regarding compliance with state and federal restrictions on the collection and use of Social Security numbers (SSNs) and other personally identifiable information at the point of sale
  • Represented public travel website in the drafting and negotiation of international call center outsourcing agreement
  • Represented clients in the negotiation and structuring of numerous information technology-related transactions, including software license agreements, hardware procurement agreements, consulting agreements, and services agreements
  • Counseled social-networking websites regarding the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the Communications Decency Act, other liability-limitation regimes, and user privacy issues
EDUCATION:
  • J.D., University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law
    Executive Editor, California Law Review; Senior Executive Editor, Berkeley Business Law Journal; Managing Editor, Berkeley Technology Law Journal; Fellow, Berkeley Center for Law and Technology
  • B.S., Biology, Washington State University
    Summa Cum Laude; Recipient, Presidential Scholarship; Recipient, S. Town Stephenson Award, University Honors College; Member, Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Eta Sigma, and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies
ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS:
  • Member, American Bar Association Section of Business Law (Privacy and Data Security Committee and Committee on Electronic Commerce)
  • Member, American Bar Association Section of Science and Technology Law (E-Privacy Law Committee and Information Security Committee)
  • Member, Washington State Bar Association
HONORS:
  • Named to Washington Super Lawyers' list of "Rising Stars" in 2011-2014
SELECT PUBLICATIONS:

Matt has authored or co-authored numerous publications, including the following:

ADMISSIONS:
  • State Bar of Washington
  • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Contact Information

701 Fifth Avenue
Suite 5100
Seattle, WA 98104
Phone | 206-883-2583
Fax | 206-883-2699

Email | Matthew Staplesmstaples@wsgr.com

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