John F. Delaney is a partner in the New York office of Morrison & Foerster, where he formerly served as Co-Chair of the firm’s Technology Transactions Practice Group.
Mr. Delaney has concentrated his practice on intellectual property and high-technology matters. He has advised clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to early-stage “Silicon Alley” start-ups on licensing and liability issues. He has negotiated complex IT and business process outsourcing contracts and service level agreements, joint ventures, website development and hosting relationships, software and content licenses, Internet co-branding and “private label” agreements, and many other types of technology-related contracts. Mr. Delaney has also counseled clients on copyright and other intellectual property issues in connection with corporate finance transactions and mergers and acquisitions. In addition, Mr. Delaney has substantial experience in advising companies on issues such as IP audits, privacy and data security, contests and sweepstakes, advertising risks, digital signatures and electronic contracts, domain names, copyright and trademark registration, unfair competition and trade secrets.
Further, as a leader of the firm's Social Media practice, Mr. Delaney advises clients on the rapidly evolving law of social media, including the drafting and implementation of social media policies and guidelines, compliance with DMCA and CDA safe harbors, online tracking and issues in connection with corporate blogs, third-party social media platforms and mobile applications. He is a founder and editor of Socially Aware (http://www.mofo.com/sociallyaware/ and www.sociallyawareblog.com), an award-winning newsletter and blog devoted to the law and business of social media.
Mr. Delaney is a frequent lecturer and author on technology and intellectual property law developments, and has been quoted in Newsweek, Advertising Age and The Wall Street Journal on emerging intellectual property law and business issues. He is Chair of the Practising Law Institute’s annual conference on social media.
He has appeared on the cover of American Lawyer as one of the “lawyers for the new economy” and on the cover of New York Lawyer as one of “fifteen lawyers 40 and under shaping the law for the 21st Century.” Crain’s New York Business included him in its “Technology 100,” a list of individuals “likely to shape the direction and growth of New York’s economy for years to come.” He is ranked by Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 US as one of America’s leading business lawyers (recommended for “Technology & IT Outsourcing”) and is “highly recommended” by Global Counsel 3000 in the areas of IT and eCommerce. He is a Co-Chair of PLI's annual Outsourcing Conference and the Chair of its annual Social Media Conference.
Born in Anchorage, Alaska, Mr. Delaney received his B.A. from the University of Notre Dame in 1986, graduating with honors. In 1989, he received his J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he was an Executive Editor of the Journal of Law and the Arts. Mr. Delaney is a member of both the California Bar and the New York Bar.
