Chris L. Bollinger

Partner

Chris concentrates his practice on matters relating to intellectual property transactions, licensing, and technology law, including contracts and matters involving trademark and copyright, data, media, artificial intelligence, e-commerce, and information technology.

Chris Bollinger

His prior experience as a software engineer informs his legal practice and allows Chris to provide his clients with in-depth and nuanced advice on a wide range of technology, IP, IT, compliance, and ecommerce related issues. Chris crafts legal and business solutions to fit the rapidly evolving and increasingly complex digital marketplace—and the unique needs of his clients.

In addition to his work with hardware, software, financial, and technology companies, Chris provides guidance to corporate clients across the business spectrum, including many in the online service, manufacturing, consumer product, financial services, media, entertainment, energy, medical device, biotech, and industrial service sectors.

Client Work

  • E-Commerce & Internet: Advising clients on compliance, electronic contracting, social media, mobile app, and e-commerce issues, including reviewing/auditing client websites. Drafting and negotiating agreements relating to web services, online platforms, cloud computing, website development, and hosting, including Service Level Agreements and web terms of use.
  • Software & Services: Drafting and negotiating agreements relating to the development, transfer and licensing of hardware and software technology. Counseling clients on complex software-related issues, including issues relating to Software as a Service (SaaS) agreements and open source software. Extensive experience with consulting services agreements and contracts relating to the development and implementation of software systems.
  • Artificial Intelligence and Digital Assets: Negotiating agreements for the license, use and development of GenAI models. Advising on issues relating to policies for usage of AI and generated content. Advising clients on blockchain issues and negotiating agreements for use of blockchain technology.
  • Licensing: Drafting and reviewing agreements for the licensing and transfer of patents, copyrights, trademarks and content. Advising on complex licensing issues for joint venture, product development, and joint development arrangements.
  • Data & Technology: Drafting and reviewing agreements relating to data transfer, data warehousing, data protection, and the procurement of information technology resources. Experience in preparing confidentiality and distributor agreements, data and content licenses, API agreements, telecom agreements, and research and development agreements.
  • Transactions: Handling all intellectual property aspects of mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances and joint ventures, and the commercialization and transfer of intellectual property. Extensive experience conducting intellectual property due diligence for large corporate deals and negotiating transaction documents. Negotiating supply, vendor, reseller, and other commercial contracts.
  • Sports & Entertainment: Negotiating sponsorship and endorsement agreements for athletes and celebrities.  Providing advice on rights of publicity and branding issues for content and media projects.
  • Branding & Advertising: Counseling clients on issues relating to advertising law, rights of publicity, ad clearance, sweepstakes, and contests. Negotiating ad tech agreements and promotional agreements involving brands, likenesses and endorsements, including social media influencer contracts and branding guidelines.
  • Copyright and Content Development: Providing advice on publishing and content issues, including drafting and negotiating publishing and content distribution agreements. Counseling clients with respect to copyright issues involving websites and user-generated content, including issues relating to screen scraping and online contests.
  • Privacy: Advising clients on privacy issues involving compliance, contracts and transactions. Crafting website privacy policies and compliance program procedures. Negotiating data protection agreements with data vendors and processors to address data security issues and privacy law requirements.
  • Financial Markets: Advising clients regarding issues relating to financial markets and the protection and distribution of market data.  Negotiating agreements involving data analytics, index calculation and data licensing.
  • Media & Merchandising: Negotiating consumer product licensing, merchandising, and promotional agreements involving famous brands and characters. Experience working with a variety of major consumer product, media, and entertainment companies. Counseling clients regarding the adoption of brands and trademark clearance.

Publications, Presentations & Recognitions

Speeches & Presentations

  • “Gen AI Legal Hot Topics,” ArentFox Schiff Conference (March 2024)
  • “Intellectual Property Protection for Software,” Schiff Hardin Conference (Dec. 2016)
  • “Intellectual Property Considerations for Design Firms,” Schiff Hardin Conference (Jun. 2015)
  • “Managing Cyber­risk and Measures to Ensure Data Security,” Schiff Hardin 2014 Financial Services Regulation Roundtable (Sep. 2014)

Awards

  • Illinois Leading Lawyer, Law Bulletin’s Illinois Leading Lawyers Network (2009-2021)

Boards, Memberships & Certifications

  • American Bar Association, Science & Technology Law Member Group
  • Chicago Bar Association, Cyber Law and Data Privacy Section

Perspectives