The Internet has changed the way in which we conduct business and continues to significantly impact the economy. Born in the early 1960s as a network of national defense and research computers, the modern Internet evolved into a commercial engine that generates more than $830 billion in revenue and employs about 3.1 million people, according to the Center for Research in Electronic Commerce at the University of Texas.

Online media are serious competitors to the existing media industry. Online ad spending is expected to grow to $15.9 billion by 2007, representing a compound annual growth rate of 21 percent over the next five years. Factors driving this increase include sustained growth of the online population, increased broadband penetration, media consolidation and, most important, general economic recovery, according to Jupiter Research’s “Marketing & Branding Forecast: Online Advertising and E-mail Marketing Through 2007”.

The intersection of entertainment and technology is one of the most challenging and fastest growing sectors for both industries. Software and hardware companies are designing tools for the film industry, content owners are licensing their characters and content to video game developers and wireless carriers are distributing robust content to PDAs and mobile phones. While this fusion of Silicon Valley and Hollywood is creating new revenue streams, it is also giving rise to a host of legal issues that many companies have not previously encountered in their traditional marketplaces.

Fenwick & West was there for the Internet’s infancy in the early 1970's, when computer handling of personal information generated sufficient concern to coalesce libertarians, academicians and politicians. William A. Fenwick testified before federal and state legislative committees, spoke and wrote extensively on the need for rationality and caution in the flood of legislative proposals to regulate privacy and information handling. The Internet continued to grow and there was a need to bring it into the mainstream. At that time, John Doerr sought out Fenwick & West to start a new cable Internet venture called @Home to bring the Internet to America’s homes at 10 megabytes per second. During these intensive growth years, we worked to keep commerce in motion. Fenwick & West defeated the infamous "Freeney" patent that threatened to tax all electronic commerce on the Internet.

Despite a downturn in the technology sector in 2001, the Web’s growth is not expected to abate in the future. Some analysts see online spending alone increasing to about $5 trillion by 2005, and spending on technology services and products could top $700 billion that same year.

Behind the Internet and entertainment sectors are the infrastructure companies that design and maintain the hardware. On the user end of the equation are the companies that provide Internet connections. As the popularity of the Internet grows, savvy Web surfers are demanding alternatives to dial-up access. At the same time many consumers are turning to the wireless Web to get their e-mail and instant messages on the go. But the momentous prospect looming on the horizon overwhelms even those abreast of the industry’s shift toward broadband and wireless access: Internet II. Primarily a scientific network, Internet II now involves roughly 250 universities and companies. Internet II’s enormous bandwidth enables features such as full-motion video and voice recognition and is expected to spawn major networking changes.

Fenwick & West continues to represent companies that shape the Internet and online entertainment. From advertising to music to instant messaging to security and online commerce, the following are representative of Fenwick & West’s Internet and entertainment clients.

• Advertising
  Adforce, Inc.
  AllAdvantage.com, Inc.
  BT Alex.Brown International Limited
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• Client Software
  Netscape Communications Corp.
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• Data Center Providers
  Exodus Communications, Inc.
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• Development Tools and Languages
  Asymetrix Learning Systems, Inc.
  Cybelius Software, Inc.
  Macromedia Inc.
  Metrowerks, Inc.
  Sun Microsystems, Inc.
  Symantec Corporation
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• E-mail and Messaging
  Critical Path, Inc.
  Qualcomm Incorporated
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• Enabling Technology (Software)
  Concur Technologies, Inc.
  GRIC Communications, Inc.
  iCast Corporation-Acq by FVC.COM
  JavaSoft
  Keynote Systems, Inc.
  Stardust Technologies, Inc.
  Ensim Corp.
  Stratum8 Networks, Inc.
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• Entertainment
  Exploratorium, Inc.
  Imagine Films Entertainment Inc.
  Listen.com, Inc.
  Napster, Inc.
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• Games
  Affiliation Networks, Inc.
  Electronic Arts, Inc.
  Headland Digital Media, Inc. (Mindscape, Inc.)
  Total Entertainment Network, Inc.
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• Hardware
  Apple Computer, Inc.
  Cisco Systems, Inc.
  Netopia, Inc.
  Sun Microsystems, Inc.
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• Infomediaries
  PopularDemand.com, Inc.
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• ISPs
  Excite@Home Corporation
  ICTV, Inc.
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• Native Internet Content
  Blue Mountain Arts Holdings, LLC
  Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
  Fannie Mae Corporation
  Fast-Chip, Incorporated
  GolfWeb, Inc.
  Harvest Technology
  Homestore.com
  Intuit Inc.
  LiveCapital.com, Inc.
  MarketWatch.com, Inc.
  MyPoints.com, Inc.
  Medem, Inc.
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• Online Commerce Software
  AIP Corporation
  Cybergold, Inc.
  Edify Corporation
  PrivateExpress, Inc.
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• Online Networks
  Excite@Home Corporation
  ICTV, Inc.
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• Sales-Auctions
  Amazon.com, Inc.
  Autoweb.com, Inc.
  BigWords.com, Inc.
  busybox.com, Inc.
  DoveBid, Inc.
  ONSALE, Inc.
  Switchouse Inc.
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• Search Engines/Portals
  Epicentric, Inc.
  Excite@Home Corporation
  Alexa Internet, Inc.
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• Security Software
  Alchemedia, Inc.
  Certicom Corporation
  Cypher Comm, Inc.
  Digital Persona, Inc.
  Entegrity Solutions Corporation
  FirstUse.com, Inc.
  Gemplus Corporation
  HNC Software Inc.
  Invincible Data Systems, Inc.
  NetScreen Technologies, Inc.
  SoundCode, Inc.
  Sun Microsystems, Inc.
  VeriSign, Inc.
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• Server Software
  Cypher Comm, Inc.
  Ensim Corporation
  Netscape Communications Corp.
  Sun Microsystems, Inc.
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• Telecommunications
  Excite@Home Corporation
  Media-Ring.com, Inc.
  ICTV, Inc.
  Wink Communications, Inc.
  Ubicom, Inc.
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• Traditional Content
  On Command Corporation-Sub of Ascent Entertainment Group, Inc.
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• Visualization
  Perspecta, Inc.
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• Website Development
  Epicentric, Inc.
  Eventus Software, Inc.-Acq by Segue Software, Inc.
  Interwoven, Inc.
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• Web Hosting
  Exodus Communications, Inc.