An AV Preeminent rated attorney with more than 35 years’ experience in intellectual property, technology, and business law, Howard focuses his practice on representing providers and users of information, content and technology, including software companies, internet and e-commerce businesses, life sciences ventures, publishers, and authors.
Howard has substantial experience in domestic and international technology development, distribution and licensing; joint ventures and strategic alliances; copyrights and publishing law; online contracts, including SaaS, Terms of Use/Service, SLA, affiliation and co-branding agreements; and real estate leases. His practice also focuses on nondisclosure, noncompetition, and proprietary rights agreements; the protection of copyrights and trademarks; and print and electronic publishing agreements, literary agency contracts and collaboration arrangements.
Affiliations
- Arts and Entertainment Law Committee, past Co-Chair
- Computer and Internet Law Committee, past Co-Chair
- Intellectual Property Section, past Co-Chair
Board of Directors/Secretary of Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs, Inc.
Board of Advisors of the Wildflower Camp Foundation
Copyright Society of the U.S.A., New England Chapter
Speaking Engagements
Co-Chair, MCLE 21st Annual Intellectual Property Law Conference 2018
Judge, Boston University New Venture Competition
Co-Chair, MCLE 20th Annual Intellectual Property Law Conference 2017
Panelist, 17th Annual Intellectual Property Year in Review – The Changing IP Landscape
Judge, Annual Pitch Fest, TechSandBox
Video: Privacy and Data Security in the Cloud
Video: High-Level Overview of the U.S. Privacy/Data Security Landscape
Co-Chair, MCLE 19th Annual Intellectual Property Law Conference 2016
Chair and Panelist, Head Into the Clouds: What Every Lawyer Needs to Know, New England Corporate Counsel Association
Moderator, Get Your Head in the Cloud, Women’s Bar Association
Panelist, IP Deep Dive: Overview of Intellectual Property & Copyright, TechSandBox
Moderator, Effective Partnerships & Conflict Avoidance in Life Sciences, TechSandBox
Co-presenter, Life in the Cloud: Legal Risks & Silver Linings, Morse Seminar
Video: Highlights: Life in the Cloud – What You Need to Know
Co-chair/Faculty, MCLE Annual New England Intellectual Property Law Conference
Co-chair: 2004, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2013
Faculty: 2009, 2010
Chair, Distributing & Licensing Software & Other Technologies, MCLE
Presenter, Negotiating and Renegotiating Contracts, MCLE
Presenter, Yours, Mine, and Ours: The Contours of Modern Copyright, Lafayette College
Presenter, TWO LAWYERS WALK INTO A BAR…Protecting Jokes Through Copyright and Trademark Law, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
Howard has taught copryright law at Suffolk Law School. He has also lectured on technology and intellectual property topics for the Massachusetts Tech Leadership Council, the Technology Transfer Society, the Copyright Society, the National Writers Union and the Society of Children’s Book writers and Illustrators.
Publications
Howard’s articles have appeared in The Computer Lawyer, Computerworld, The Boston Globe, Mass High Tech, Publisher’s Weekly, Folio, The Writer, Writer’s Digest, and Writer’s Guide.
Copyrights in Jokes and One-Liners
Contours of Copyright: The States Win One and Lose One
Surviving as a Tenant In the Age of Coronavirus: A Checklist
Supreme Court Rules Works Must Be Registered Before Copyright Owners May Sue
Book Publishing Contracts: Checklist of Deal Terms
Successful Writing Collaborations: 3 Questions Co-Authors & Ghostwriters Need to Ask
The Olympics Are Coming, the Olympics Are Coming – But Don’t Tell Your Customers!
Sports, Bowls and Brands: Does Anyone Own the Trademark “SUPER BOWL”?
Santa Claus Trademark: A Legal Opinion
Head in the Clouds: A Cloud User’s Contract Checklist
The Contours of Copyright Blog Series
Setting Values and Royalty Rates for Medical and Life Science Businesses
Reviewing Software License Agreements: A Licensee’s Checklist
Leaving Your Mark (Trademark Tips for Writers)
Sweepstakes and Contests: Avoid Losing… Big
The Nuts and Bolts of Publishing Contracts
Common Publishing Legal Issues and How to Avoid Them
Know Your Copyrights — A Legal Guide for Writers
A Rose by Any Other Name: Pros and Cons of Pseudonyms
Who Can Publish Your Author’s Book? A Lesson in Licensing Law
The Shy Writer’s Guide to Successful Negotiation
Basics of Copyrights and Copyright Clearance
Online Contracts: Book Publishing in the Age of the Internet
Book Publishing Checklist of Deal Terms
Battle Between ‘Survivors’ Provides Lessons on ‘Likelihood of Confusion’
Outside the office
Howard is an avid traveler, a smooth jazz listener, and a published author and humorist (Stump Your Lawyer: A Quiz to Challenge the Legal Mind, Chronicle Books 2007).
He is also active in Project Bread’s annual Walk for Hunger.
News & Events
News
-
COVID-19 Resource Collection
Coronavirus Updates
July 21, 2022 -
IP News: Senate Bill S5959D
New York Extends Its Right of Publicity and Penalizes Sexually Explicit Deepfakes
January 6, 2021 -
Client Alert: Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2020
IoT Baby-Steps: The Feds Enact Cybersecurity Improvement Act
December 15, 2020 -
Reviewing Software License Agreements
A Licensee's Checklist
September 15, 2020 -
Book Publishing Contracts
Checklist of Deal Terms
July 28, 2020
Events
Education
- Harvard Law School, J.D., magna cum laude
- Johns Hopkins University, M.A., Ph.D. in philosophy
- Lafayette College, B.A., magna cum laude
Admissions
- Massachusetts Bar
Practice Areas
Industries
- Consumer Goods & Services
- Educational Institutions & Hospitals
- FinTech
- HealthTech
- Internet of Things
- Life Sciences
- Media & Entertainment
- Medical Devices
- Publishing
- Software-as-a-Service
Recognition
- AV® Preeminent™ Rated Lawyer, Martindale-Hubbell®
