Karin Retzer is Of Counsel in the firm’s Brussels office and a member of the Technology Transactions Group. Her practice focuses on the legal aspects of electronic commerce and data protection, technology licensing, and intellectual property law.

Ms. Retzer’s transactional experience includes software and biotechnology licensing, outsourcing arrangements, distribution and agency relationships, and various ISP contracts. She has developed template agreements and negotiated complex commercial agreements for many clients, counseling them not only with respect to legal ramifications, but also taking into account applicable business and technical considerations. In the area of intellectual property, Ms. Retzer has defended the positions of technology companies in various legislative initiatives at both European Community and national levels, and provided support in disputes and negotiations.

Ms. Retzer has provided strategic advice on worldwide privacy and data security compliance projects. She has assisted with questions regarding the international transfer of personal data, data retention obligations, direct marketing, and the use of e-mail and Internet in the workplace. She has drafted privacy policies and guidelines, notices, and data transfer and processing contracts for several multinational clients. In addition, Ms. Retzer advises clients on issues relating to electronic commerce, such as the enforceability of online contracts and the legal aspects of online auction sites.

Prior to joining Morrison & Foerster, Ms. Retzer worked at the European headquarters of Sterling Commerce in Paris, a U.S. supplier of e-commerce products. From 1997 to 1998, Ms. Retzer worked at the European Commission, where she was involved mainly with examining and monitoring Member States’ implementation of European Community directives.

Ms. Retzer is a member of the German and the EU bar in Brussels. She completed her legal education in 1997, after studies in Regensburg (Germany), Utrecht (The Netherlands), and Munich (Germany). Ms. Retzer is fluent in German and English and has a working knowledge of French and Dutch. She is a member of the Licensing Executives Society (“LES”), the Association for Industrial Property and Copyright Law (“GRUR”), and the German Association for Data Protection and Data Security (“GDD”). She has published extensively on intellectual property, licensing, and data protection matters, and is a contributing author to the loose-leaf ‘Employee Privacy: Guide to U.S. and International Law’, which was published by A S Pratt & Sons and Thompson in September 2007.