John has unique experience helping companies forge cross-cultural contractual agreements around the world using industry best practices and western style contracts. John also focuses on technology-related commercial agreements with a particular interest in blockchain technology, cryptocurrencies and the automotive space. An essential element to his approach is to let the business terms, rather than the legal structure of a business opportunity, define the relationship.
John represents scores of clients across the blockchain ecosystem, including issuers of digital tokens through Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs), providers of distributed applications (DAPPs) cryptocurrency hedge funds, exchanges, consultants and marketers. John also represents OEMs and suppliers in the automotive industry as they interact to build best practices and hold each other accountable in the rapidly emerging connected car/autonomous vehicle arena. Finally, John has extensive experience handling complex cyber security incidents and serves as chair of the firm’s China desk.
John has hands on experience with all types of software and technology agreements including: blockchain-based distributed applications, software development, licensing, subscription and reselling agreements; digital tokens and cryptocurrency; outsourcing (onshore and offshore) agreements; hosting agreements; private and public cloud infrastructure and application hosting; service level agreements; maintenance and support agreements; training and installation agreements; software acceptance procedures; commission agreements; data sharing and privacy agreements; IT security policies (BCP and VTA); Value Added Reseller (VAR) Agreements; Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Agreements; and open source software.
John joined Frost Brown Todd after serving seven years as General Counsel and EVP to Freeborders, Inc., a California-based technology services company with offices in North America, Europe and Asia. Freeborders, now Symbio, specializes in custom software development and consulting services. John has also served as a professional staff member of the United States Senate Committee on the Budget and as Staff Director of a Subcommittee of the United States Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs. In these positions he focused on non-Medicare health care funding and led numerous investigations in waste, fraud and abuse in federal programs, including health care reimbursement, the General Services Administration and the Department of Defense.
Contact info:
615.251.5586
jwagster@fbtlaw.com