Deeply knowledgeable, get-it-done IT, IP and privacy counsel

Heather Buchta advises on artificial intelligence, information technology and data privacy with an additional focus on trademark and copyright matters. With clients in the software, education, healthcare, manufacturing, consumer services and other industries, she focuses on:

• AI governance and risk management
• Software agreements (SaaS, downloadable and custom development)
• IT outsourcing
• Privacy programs and compliance
• Electronic contracting
• Technology development deals
• Trademark prosecution and licensing
• Copyright prosecution and licensing

With nearly 25 years working in the IT space, Heather has deep knowledge of the industry, its standards and practices, and a clear sense of risks that are emerging as well as those no longer relevant. Clients know that with this deep knowledge and a practical, get-it-done approach, Heather reliably and creatively gets deals done.

Heather is an Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional (AIGP), Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US, CIPP/E) and Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) through the International Association of Privacy Professionals.

Heather is co-chair of the Data Asset Management, Privacy & Cybersecurity team, chair of the IT and Tech Transactions team, and Phoenix office chair for the Intellectual Property Group.

Bar Admissions

• Arizona

Education

• Washington University in St. Louis School of Law (J.D., 2001)
  • Dean's List
  • Order of Barristers, Washington University
  • Midwest Region first place team, National Best Brief winner, Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition, Washington University

• Kansas State University (B.A., cum laude, 1998)
  • Departmental honors in French, History and Political Science

• "10 Tips for Cybersecurity Policies"
• "Children's online privacy rights must be considered by companies"
• "Considerations in the World of IoT"
• "Deals Demand Prior CFO Involvement in Data Security"
• "European Commission and Data Protection Authorities Issue Guidance"
• "EU's new data protection law is likely to impact all companies doing business in Europe"
• "Federal Agencies Release Guidance on Cyber Sharing"
• "GDPR Enforcement Day is Here!"
• "How did data get to be so 'big'?"
• "Judicial Redress Act of 2015 Presented to the President"
• "Leap Forward on EU-US Data Transfers?"
• "Managing Data Privacy Issues in Commercial and M&A Transactions"
• "Online Businesses: Get Your Privacy Ducks in a Row"
• "Proposed data privacy legislation at the federal level may be a step in the right direction, but falls short of consumer advocacy groups' expectations"
• "Rules and regulations 'across the pond' that may force dramatic changes"
• "Spooked by Data Breaches: How to Navigate Global Data Protection and Privacy Requirements and Avoid Data Breach Nightmares"
• "The good and bad news about European data-security laws"
• "The "Right to Be Forgotten" Proves Ironic for Google, But Not Expensive"
• "U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework: Know Your Obligations"
• "What direction companies must head with 'right to be forgotten' laws"
• 2023 AI Safety Executive Order Revoked and What Lies Ahead for AI
• 2024 International Trademark Association ("INTA") North America Roundtable
• 2024 U.S. Privacy Timeline
• Broad Florida Information Security Law Impacts Numerous Companies
• California AG Updates the Proposed CCPA Regulations: Only a Few More of the Puzzle Pieces Fit
• California Breach Notification AB 1710
• California Voters Approve California Privacy Rights Act: What You Need To Know
• Colorado (Officially) Joins the Data Privacy Fray: Colorado Privacy Act Signed into Law
• Concerned about AI Training Data and Copyrighted Works? New Guidance from the Northern District of California
• CPRA is in Effect: What Health and Life Sciences Entities Need to Know
• Data 101: The New World of Privacy and Security
• Day Three of Trump's Presidency Provides Additional Clarity on the Administration's Stance on AI
• Federal Court Finds Retailer May Owe Banks a Duty to Protect Consumers' Financial Information
• First Glimpse at Proposed Regulations Under the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018
• Hannah Ji-Otto, Jianfei Chen and Heather Buchta Write Article for Bloomberg Law on Risks for M&A Involving AI Assets
• Heather Buchta Writes InBusiness Phoenix Article About Importance for Business of Effectively Navigating State Data Privacy Laws
• How to Stop the Bleeding, Hopefully Before it Starts
• Introduction to AI and Current Hot Topics
• March Proves an Exciting Month for Data Privacy
• New COPPA Regulations Coming: Are You Sure You are Ready?
• New Online System Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act Requires Website Operators to Re-Register Agent Designations by 2018
• No AI Moratorium for Now, but What Comes Next?
• Once Again...California Sets the Tone for U.S. Data Privacy
• Privacy Priorities for 2024 (and Beyond)
• Privacy Update: A Busy Second Quarter
• State Privacy Enforcement Heats Up: Key Actions and Compliance Trends Every Business Needs to Know
• Supreme Court Decides the Scope of the Copyright First Sale Doctrine
• White House Releases America's AI Action Plan and Accompanying AI Executive Orders
• With CCPA in Effect, What Does Your Business Need to Know to Comply?
• Your Cybersecurity Program During the Pandemic: Check-Ins and Updates to Do Now and in the Long Term
• ​A Friendly Reminder of Alternatives from the EU Commission
• "Data 101: What are the basics of data protection?"
• "Full Disclosure: Policies and practices when your customers' information is at your Website"

Seminar

• 10th Annual CLE in the Garden
• 11th Annual Specialized CLE for In-House Counsel
• 13th Annual Specialized CLE for In-House Counsel
• 15th Annual Specialized CLE for In-House Counsel
• 16th Annual Specialized CLE for In House Counsel - June 30 Option
• 16th Annual Specialized CLE for In‑House Counsel
• 2020 Vision: Ongoing Data Privacy Developments and Dilemmas
• 2021 Annual Legal Ethics Seminar
• 2021 Annual Legal Ethics Seminar Video Replay
• 2021 Annual Legal Ethics Seminar Video Replay #1
• 2021 Annual Legal Ethics Seminar Video Replay #2
• A Bird's Eye View into the Current State of State Data Privacy Legislation and Trends
• Artificial Intelligence Webinar Series
• Before You Adopt AI: How to Gain AI Efficiencies with Ethical, Practical, and Secure Strategies for Law Firms
• Business Law Training | Legal Risks of Operating in the World of Connected Technologies (IoT)
• Business Law Training | Managing Data Privacy Issues in M&A Transactions
• Business Law Training | Protecting Your Intellectual Property: How to Patent Your Copyright with a Trademark and Other Notions
• Business Law Training | Think You Know How to Text? Ongoing Developments and Pitfalls in Marketing Text Messages.
• Business Law Training: Are You Ready for 2023? U.S. Data Privacy Developments and Your Employee Data
• Business Law Training: Data Privacy 2020: An Early Retrospective
• Business Law Training: Privacy and Cybersecurity in 2023: New Obligations for Employers and Vendor Management Implications
• Business Law Training: Pushing CCPA Compliance Over the Finish Line: New Developments and Best Practices
• Celebrate Privacy Day with Quarles!
• Change Would Do You Good: Recent Developments in Privacy and Data Protection
• Cybersecurity: What Your Bank Needs to Know from a Compliance, Regulatory, and Risk Standpoint-Part 1
• Data Privacy & Security Webinar Series | Regulatory Compliance for Health Care Mobile Apps: There's Not an App for That . . . But There Is a Webinar.
• Data Protection Updates
• EU High Court Strikes Down Privacy Shield - What You Need to Know
• Fall into Privacy Compliance: Insights and Best Practices
• Franchising Workshop Series: Leveraging and Protecting Your Franchise Brand with the Right Marketing Mix
• Legal Issues Online Marketers Need to Know
• Non-Patented Software Innovations: How to Protect and Extract Value
• Non-profit, Non-private? The Pros (and Cons) of How Privacy Laws Exempt Non-profits
• North America Roundtable-Annual Case Law Review (Phoenix)
• Nuts & Bolts of Trademark Law
• Open Source Licenses and Academic Tech Commercialization: A Choose Your Own Adventure Story
• Open Source Licenses and Technology Commercialization: Finding Your Ideal Path
• Practical Lessons from Implementations of AI
• Privacy and Cybersecurity in 2023: New Obligations for Employers and Vendor Management Implications
• Privacy Day 2025 - Take Your Privacy Game to the Next Level
• Privacy Developments on the Horizon for 2024
• Privacy in AI: Hot Issues and Priorities
• Privacy Law Compliance in the Franchise World: Lessons Learned and New Developments
• Privacy, Cybersecurity, and the Legal Profession: What Lawyers Need to Know
• Quarles' 18th Annual Specialized CLE for In‑House Counsel, Presented by Quarles and ACC's Arizona Chapter
• Software Licensing Series - Part 2 - SaaS Licensing
• Tips and Tricks for Protecting and Leveraging Software