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Meet Our Professionals

William B. Cannon

Partner
Technology Industry Team Leader
Raleigh | 919.835.4654
Fax | 919.834.4564

Clients turn to Will Cannon to negotiate their technology contracts at scale, manage their trademark portfolios, and advise on the development of innovative products. He leads Parker Poe's Technology Industry Team, is a former leader of the firm's Education Team, and serves on the firm's Artificial Intelligence (AI) Committee, which drives the firm's efforts to deliver the most value to clients through AI.

Global leaders in the technology, life sciences, and automotive industries have outsourced their IT and other technology contract negotiation and maintenance to Will and his team. He develops a deep understanding of each client's strategy, assembles the right attorneys to scale their processes, and tailors his collaboration based on each client's preferences. This can include using technology to function as fully integrated members of a client's team, which can accelerate product development. Clients have emphasized the peace of mind and quality control Will delivers, as they rely on him and his team to know their business, keep it moving, and iterate along the way.

In addition, clients across the country depend on Will to manage and enforce their trademark portfolios. He has overseen trademark selection, registration, maintenance, and enforcement on behalf of clients that include Fortune 500 companies, universities, private entities, and individuals. He serves on the North Carolina State Bar's Trademark Law Specialty Committee and is himself a board-certified specialist in trademark law.  

Will uses his understanding of intellectual property to serve nonprofits in North Carolina as well. He provides pro bono services to the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, StepUp Ministry, Carroll's Kitchen, A Place at the Table, Pretty in Pink Foundation, Kanuga, Water for Wildlife, and other organizations. The NC Bar Association's Intellectual Property Section has honored Will with its Outstanding Achievement Pro Bono Award.

Representative Experience

  • Negotiated multimillion-dollar technology contracts, including software licenses, cloud services agreements, development agreements, electronic medical record agreements, and consulting services agreements.
  • Provided counsel on the development of virtual reality and other technology products for a leading global technology company.  
  • Represented credit unions in connection with technology contracts, service agreements, and privacy regulations.
  • Managed and enforced the trademark portfolios of Fortune 500 companies, public and private universities, and other clients. 
  • Litigated trademark opposition and cancellation proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
  • Counseled startup entrepreneurs and developers on the contractual protection of their apps and other intellectual property.
  • Addressed online infringement, including recapturing infringing domain names and shutting down infringing websites.

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Honors & Awards

  • North Carolina Bar Board Certified Specialist in Trademark Law
  • The Best Lawyers in America in Corporate Law, 2024-2026; Commercial Transactions/UCC Law, Trademark Law, 2025-2026
  • World Trademark Review 1000: The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals, 2023-2025
  • Triangle Business Journal's 40 Under 40, 2019
  • Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers in Intellectual Property, 2013-2015, 2017-2019, 2025
  • North Carolina Bar Association's Outstanding Achievement Pro Bono Award for the IP Section, 2017
  • Business North Carolina magazine's "Legal Elite" in Intellectual Property, 2016-2020, 2022, 2025; Young Guns, 2016
  • North Carolina Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2013-2020

Memberships

  • North Carolina State Bar, Trademark Law Specialty Committee, 2023-present
  • Parker Poe Artificial Intelligence Committee, 2023-present
  • Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, Board of Directors, 2019-2025
  • Follow the Child Montessori School, Board of Directors, 2022-2025
  • North Carolina Bar Association Intellectual Property Law Section, Licensing Committee, Co-Chair, 2018-2023; Trademarks, Copyrights, and Trade Secrets Committee, Co-Chair, 2017-2018