OUR TEAM
Eric G. Begun
- Phone: 214.396.6261
- Email: eric.begun@king-fisher.com
- Location: Galleria Tower 3, 13155 Noel Road, Ste 900, Dallas, TX 75240
Eric is an accomplished technology and intellectual property transactions attorney with over 25 years’ experience. Before joining King & Fisher, he was a partner in the Intellectual Property and Technology practice at Blank Rome, and he held in-house positions at Intel, Hewlett-Packard, McAfee, and a DuPont technology spin-off.
Eric negotiates and counsels clients regarding a wide variety of information technology agreements and business transactions, including IT and business process outsourcing agreements, software-as-a-service, software license, and cloud agreements, data security and managed technology services contracts, and Internet and e-commerce contracts. He also advises clients on and negotiates contracts involving the establishment, protection, and commercialization of intellectual property rights, such as patent licenses and non-assertion agreements, intellectual property license, development, cooperation, and strategic alliance agreements, and intellectual property acquisitions, divestitures, and financings.
In addition, Eric counsels data controllers, data processors, security companies, IT vendors, service providers, and customers on privacy and data security matters, including risks, roles, and contractual and other responsibilities related to the collection, receipt, possession, use, and processing of personally identifiable data and information.
When not spending time with his family or building furniture (Adirondack chairs are a favorite), Eric enjoys running and hiking. He counts among his most rewarding experiences hiking to the top of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire and running the New York City Marathon and the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. His hiking bucket list includes the Camino de Santiago in Spain.
Areas of Emphasis
- Information technology and outsourcing
- Hardware, software licensing, and software support
- XaaS, cloud computing, security, and technology/professional services
- Intellectual property licensing and commercialization
- Digital transformation, blockchain, machine learning, AI, IoT, and robotic process automation
- Data privacy and security, including cybersecurity
- Mergers, acquisitions, assignments, divestitures, and financings of intellectual property
- Business and commercial contracts
Professional/Civic Activities (Selected, Past and Present)
- Dallas Bar Association, SciTech Section
- State Bar of Texas, Computer and Technology Division
- International Association of Privacy Professionals
- Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania – Advisory Committee
- Southern New Jersey Development Council – Technology Committee
- Street Law Corporate Legal Diversity Pipeline Program
- Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas
- Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
- Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts
Selected Publications and Speaking Engagements
- “Blockchain: Mind Your Contract Terms,” On Technology Contracts (blog), December 14, 2020 (Top 10 Blog Post, Texas Bar Today)
- “License Restrictions: Covenants or Conditions?,” On Technology Contracts (blog), October 16, 2020 (Top 10 Blog Post, Texas Bar Today)
- “Why Blockchain Matters to In-House Lawyers,” King|Fisher (blog), April 24, 2018 (Top 10 Blog Post, Texas Bar Today)
- “Your Emoji Use Just Formed a Contract,” King|Fisher (blog), February 12, 2018 (Top 10 Blog Post, Texas Bar Today)
- “RETURN TO SENDER: Aetna to Pay $17M to Settle Claims Related to Vendor Mailer Data Breach,” King|Fisher (blog), January 22, 2018 (Top 10 Blog Post, Texas Bar Today)
- Associate Faculty, Collin College (Business Law), 2013 to 2016
- Adjunct Professor, Rutgers University School of Law (Intellectual Property Business Transactions), 2007 to 2010
- Venture Capital and Entrepreneurial Management, Guest Lecturer, Goergen Entrepreneurial Management Program, University of Pennsylvania, Dec. 2006
- “New Jersey Information Security Law Reaches Far and Wide,” Privacy & Data Security Law Journal, Vol. 1, No. 4, Mar. 2006
- Legal Aspects of Entrepreneurship, Guest Lecturer, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business, Nov. 2005
- Intellectual Property in Cyberspace, Guest Lecturer, Villanova University School of Law, Feb. 2005
- “An Alternative to Selling: Understanding the Basics of Licensing Agreements,” Innovation Partnership Conference for Science and Technology Entrepreneurs, Dec. 2004
- “Entrepreneurship: Venture Capital and Intellectual Property,” Guest Lecturer, Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs, University of Pennsylvania, Nov. 2004
- The E-Business Legal Arsenal: Practitioner Agreements and Checklists,” (American Bar Association Publishing 2004) (Contributor)
- “Copyright and Business Law and Issues,” Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Apr. 2004
- “Worms Spawn Corporate Computer Security Law,” New York Law Journal, Oct. 27, 2003
- “All You Need to Know About the Legal Aspects of Being an Artist,” Moore College of Art and Design, Sep. 2003
- “The Legal Risks of Compliance with the Electronic Signatures and Records Requirements of 21 C.F.R. Part 11,” American Pharmaceutical Review, Spring 2003
- “A Legal Perspective on Electronic Records and Signatures,” Drug Information Association, Sep. 2002
- “U.S. Federal Trade Commission Pursues Web Sites; Limited Ability to Use Written Materials Online,” Pennsylvania Bar Association Business Law Section Newsletter, Spring/Summer 2002
- “Internet Privacy Law: Evolution Continues,” New Jersey Lawyer, Vol. 11, Number 7, Jan. 7, 2002
- “Courts Disagree on the Nature of Domain Names,” The Legal Intelligencer, Vol. 225, No. 103 (Nov. 2001 Intellectual Property Supplement)
- “The Current States of Internet Privacy Law,” American Bar Association Bulletin of Law/Science and Technology, No. 118, Oct. 2001
- “Domain Name: Property? Contract?,” New Jersey Lawyer, Vol. 10, Number 37, Sep. 10, 2001
- “E-Legal: Current Trends in Court Cases, Hot Issues, Legal Ramifications,” Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Sep. 2001
- “Insurance and the Internet,” Philadelphia Bar Association, May 2000
Representative Transactions
- Represented a globally recognized security software vendor in ongoing business transactions licensing software and providing data security services to major U.S. financial institutions, telecommunications companies, retailers, and other enterprises
- Represented a top-tier outsourcing provider in contracts to provide large-scale, long-term, $100M+ information technology outsourcing services
- Represented one of the world’s largest integrated producers of chemical intermediates, polymers and fibers in its worldwide licensing of trademarks and textiles manufacturing and process technologies
- Represented a major financial software solutions provider in out-bound licensing transactions to provide complex financial software and software-as-a-service offerings to financial services firms and institutions
- Advised a large software vendor in the negotiation of data security and privacy audit obligations and commitments owed to a Fortune 50 financial services company under long-term master software license and support and professional services agreements
- Represented an international financial institution in its in-bound licensing and acquisition of large-scale mortgage preparation and processing software
- Represented a global developer, publisher and marketer of interactive entertainment for consumers in the acquisition of video game software and technology
- Counseled a global technology services provider regarding the theft of a company laptop containing personally identifiable information
- Represented a health data provider in its licensing and distribution of individual health and medical data to data aggregators and pharmaceutical companies
- Represented a leading global publisher of scholarly journals, books, eBooks, text books and reference works in the acquisition of book and journal publishing rights and intellectual property through editor and contributor contracts and buy-sell transactions
- Represented a pharmaceutical product company in the development and negotiation of product manufacturing, fulfillment, and distribution contracts with resellers
- Represented a start-up nutritional supplement company in a multimillion dollar transaction to secure intellectual property license, option, and sponsorship rights from a Top 15 U.S. university
- Developed and documented written inventories and guidance for a group of healthcare entities regarding health and medical privacy laws, regulations, and requirements
Education
- J.D., University of Texas, 1991
- B.B.A., University of Texas, 1988 (Accounting, Finance; minor in Mathematics)
Bar Admissions
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
- Texas
Certifications
- Certified Public Accountant (Texas)
- Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States (CIPP/US)
