Clients assume when they engage an attorney that the contracts they’re being presented have been carefully read by legal counsel. Sadly, that’s not always the case. There are a lot of reasons for this. Some attorneys (or their legal assistants) include boiler plate language that is designed to help save time. Often, law firms are […]
Do your contracts make sense to you? Read More »
I’ve written before about “smart contracts” — self-executing contracts that leverage the Blockchain and allegedly provide a more secure, cost-effective way to enter into contracts. Although the value of cryptocurrencies have decreased substantially as of late, startups and educational institutions continue to evaluate the use of Blockchain technology for smart contracts, and 2019 could be
Is 2019 the year for Smart Contracts? Read More »
I hope 2019 is going well for you so far! It seems we have finally received a reprieve from the government shutdown, even though it may be temporary. Federal workers may have borne the brunt of the shutdown’s effects, but many businesses — including some of my clients — were affected as well. SBA Loans,
Did the Government Shutdown Affect You or Your Clients’ Businesses? Read More »
Over the past six months or so I’ve written about privacy regulations that affect many of my clients. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) took effect in May 2018, and while it looked like regulators were slow to enforce the new regulations, recently, enforcement has taken off, and a number of companies – primarily outside
Update on Privacy Regulations – GDPR Read More »
The California Consumer Privacy Act was passed and signed into law last summer. It takes effect at the beginning of 2020. The law, as it now stands, overlaps somewhat with GDPR, but also has its own framework that contains a set of different rules and requirements – some of which are quiet stringent. Tech industry
Update on Privacy Regulations – California Consumer Privacy Act Read More »
There are recent developments in the copyright space. The U.S. Supreme Court has confirmed that copyright owners can only sue for infringement after the copyright has been registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. Lawsuits filed without a registration will be dismissed. (In an unrelated case, the Supreme Court also limited the types of costs that
The Supremes Rule on Copyright Issues Read More »
I’ve been asked about this often from clients in certain industries, particularly in the furniture industry: How can we stop competitors from copying our product design? Trade dress refers to protection for the totality of elements of a product – including size, shape, color or color combination, texture, graphics, etc. Trade dress is protectible if
Protecting Your Product Design Through Trade Dress and Design Patents Read More »
Regardless of what type of business you run, chances are you are entering into contracts all the time. Having a few model agreements for your company can save you a lot of time and resources in the long run. For instance, having a solid non-disclosure agreement that you can trust will give you the freedom
Get Some Template Agreements That Fit Your Business! Read More »
There is always going to be some risk. Few agreements are ironclad, but it is helpful to conduct an assessment and build an internal portfolio of model agreements, such as non-disclosure agreements, master service and sales agreements, master purchase agreements (or PO’s), website terms and conditions and privacy policies, and, when appropriate, licensing agreements. I
How Can You Start to Reduce Risk? Read More »
For many business owners, the main goal of a business is to make money for its investors or principals. Everyone wants to increase their margins – for good reason – but many are starting to ask if a successful business can do more than that. Perhaps the true aim of a business is to generate
What “Benefits” to Society Does Your Business Provide? Read More »
