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Christopher J. Buontempo

Associate

[email protected]

+1.617.239.8322

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Chris is a corporate attorney and a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP). He has significant experience handling legal and business issues relating to technology, data privacy and security, brand protection, contract negotiation, licensing, and product development. 

Chris has held several leadership positions at technology, consumer product, and e-commerce companies. Prior to joining Mintz, he was Director of Legal Affairs and Privacy Officer at The Predictive Index, a high-growth, SaaS-based personnel assessment and technology company with an expansive international reseller network. Chris provided strategic counsel to management and all business units on a broad range of corporate, technology, and privacy issues. 

On the privacy side, he delivered guidance across the organization on US and international data protection laws, including GDPR, as well as data privacy, data security, data collection and use, cross-border data transfers, security incident response, and vendor management. His general corporate work included drafting and negotiating a wide range technology agreements and commercial contracts, including distribution, reseller, and vendor agreements. He also managed an international intellectual property (IP) portfolio, negotiated licenses, advised the company’s marketing team on brand strategy and other issues, managed cross-border transactions, and provided legal oversight of M&A initiatives. In addition, Chris advised on employment law issues related to use of pre-employment and personnel assessments.

Earlier Chris was Corporate Counsel at Benrus, LLC, the watchmaking and lifestyle company. 
He managed the company’s legal function through the early-stage revival of its iconic retail brand — negotiating contracts, counseling on IP matters, and preparing for growth-stage funding. 

Chris was also Associate General Counsel for Alex and Ani, a prominent international retailer. During his two and a half years with the company, its revenue grew from $4.5 million to over $350 million. Chris attended to a wide range of commercial contracts, managed the company’s IP portfolio, advised on brand protection, and provided counsel on a wide range of additional matters, including privacy and employment issues. He began his legal career as an associate in the Providence, Rhode Island office of a large law firm. 
 

viewpoints

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American Privacy Rights Act – Another Shot at a Comprehensive Federal Privacy Law

April 17, 2024 | Blog | By Cynthia Larose, Christopher Buontempo

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The FTC Sets Its Sights on Biometric Information

July 6, 2023 | Blog | By Christopher Buontempo, Cynthia Larose

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Mintz Co-Hosts Annual Pro Bono Clinic for Nonprofits with ACC-NE

April 19, 2023 | Blog | By Geri Haight, Christopher Buontempo

For the twelfth consecutive year, Mintz organized a pro bono clinic bringing together in-house counsel and nonprofit organizations. Following a training session on privacy, data security, and social media policies led by Mintz Member Geri L. Haight and Associate Christopher J. Buontempo, more than 35 in-house counsel teamed up in small groups to advise Boston-area nonprofits.
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FTC to Twitter: Do What You Say (Or Pay $150M If You Don’t)

June 1, 2022 | Blog | By Christopher Buontempo, Cynthia Larose

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Connecticut is on the Privacy Move

May 4, 2022 | Blog | By Christopher Buontempo, Cynthia Larose

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has signed the country’s fifth comprehensive consumer privacy act. Our breakdown below outlines key concepts on how the Connecticut Data Privacy Act (CDPA) will impact businesses, and several notes about how its provisions compare to other US state privacy laws.
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Utah Consumer Privacy Act – Mintz’s Hot Take

March 17, 2022 | Blog | By Cynthia Larose, Christopher Buontempo

Utah is on the brink of joining California, Colorado, and Virginia to become the fourth state in the US to enact a major comprehensive privacy law.  On February 25, the Utah Senate passed the Utah Consumer Privacy Act (“UCPA”), and on March 2, it was passed by the Utah House. The Mintz privacy team has reviewed the UCPA for answers to business’ most pressing questions about how this new law will affect them if it is enacted.
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And Now There are Three …. The Colorado Privacy Act

July 16, 2021 | Blog | By Cynthia Larose, Christopher Buontempo

Colorado has now joined California and Virginia to become the third US state to pass a comprehensive data privacy legislation when Governor Jared Polis signed the Colorado Privacy Act (the “CPA”) into law on July 8, 2021. The new law is set to take effect on July 1, 2023. The CPA borrows in part from the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), but more significantly from both the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”, including as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”)), and the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (“VCDPA”). Below, we highlight some of the CPA’s key elements and explore how the law compares to the CCPA and VCDPA.
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US State Privacy Law Update – June 11, 2021

June 11, 2021 | Blog | By Cynthia Larose, Christopher Buontempo

The Mintz Privacy & Cybersecurity Blog will be providing regular updates of notable pending US state privacy laws.  Following our similar previous updates, this update checks in on the progression of those laws.   The most notable update is that Colorado is set to become the third US state to pass a comprehensive privacy law as the Colorado Privacy Act is on the governor’s desk and is expected to be signed. 
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News & Press

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Mintz Associate Christopher Buontempo was quoted in an article published by Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Online on security plans, policies, and other privacy measures for businesses to protect data as they manage their newly-remote workforces during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
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Events & Speaking