Silicon Valley Lawyer Kristie Prinz recently sat down for an interview with Beau Fernald, Fractional COO and Principal of Aware Insights LLC to discuss the topic of software implementation. One of the most common drafting mistakes in digital health and software contracts is failing to sufficiently define the parties’ mutual expectations for a software implementation. Most digital health and software contracts, in fact, are completely silent on the issue, regardless of the time, financial or other requirements of the implementation, which may be extensive. While Beau is not a digital health or software lawyer and brings a different operational perspective to the issue of software implementation, he offers some additional insight on software implementation mistakes that digital health, SaaS, and software companies make, the consequences of those mistakes, and best practices on how to avoid them altogether. Beau strongly agrees the contention that software implementation understandings need to be articulated and memorialized in a writing to avoid subsequent misunderstandings that may result in a legal dispute. For more information on Beau Fernald, you can view his professional profile at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beaufernald/. The Aware Insights LLC website is at: https://awareinsights.com.

I am excited to announce that my firm is adopting a number of new options for working with our clients. We received feedback asking for new fixed rate and subscription packages for specific business scenarios, and in response to that feedback we have designed a variety of new packages designed around those requests. These options are available for viewing upon request. Existing clients who are working with us already under another billing arrangement will be able to switch to a new plan at any time upon request. I am confident that these new options will address new business needs of the technology and life sciences communities we serve. If you have an idea for a billing arrangement that the firm has not yet developed, we invite you to submit your ideas for consideration at kprinz@prinzlawoffice.com.

The Federal and Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced today a settlement with Twitter, Inc. (“Twitter”) in which Twitter agreed to pay $150 million for its alleged misuse of user account security data, specifically email addresses and phone numbers, for advertising purposes.  The government alleged that the misuse of account data was in violation of a 2011 FTC Order against Twitter, which prohibited the company from misrepresenting the extent to which it maintains and protects the security, privacy, confidentiality, or integrity of any nonpublic consumer information.  The government alleged that the misuse of consumer data also violated the EU-US Privacy Shield, and the Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield.

The FTC press release is attached here.  The complaint is attached here, and the stipulated order is attached here.

In addition to the paying a $150 million fine, the government announced that Twitter has agreed to the following:

Twitter will not profit from deceptively collected data;

• Users will have other options to multi-factor authentication such as apps or security keys that do not require the provision of phone numbers;
• Notify all users that Twitter misused the phone numbers and emails collected for targeted advertising and to provide users with information about Twitter’s privacy and security controls;
• Implement and maintain a comprehensive privacy and information security program which requires an assessment of the potential privacy and security requirements of new products;
• Limit employee access to users’ personal data; and
• Notify the FTC if it experiences a data breach.

With this enforcement action against Twitter, the FTC is clearly making a statement to businesses that they need to truthfully disclose the purposes for which data used for advertising purposes is collected, and that failure to disclose this information will have potential federal regulatory consequences.

 

What Companies Need to Know About the Legal Risks of Business Blogging

Price: 75.00 Special: Free Viewing Click here to view Companies are increasingly launching blogs to advertise and promote their businesses.  While the benefits of adopting a business blog can be extensive, companies may also face legal consequences if they start posting to a blog without first having a good understanding of the legal issues they may encounter through their activities.  This program is designed to educate companies on what they need to know about the legal risks of business blogging. The speaker for this event is Kristie Prinz, the Managing Principal of the intellectual property and e-commerce boutique firm, The Prinz Law Office, located in Los Gatos, CA.  Ms. Prinz is a frequent speaker on blog law issues and recently completed work on a monograph titled “Managing the Risks of Employee Blogging,” which is scheduled to be published by the Science and Technology Law Section of the American Bar Association.  Ms. Prinz is also an avid blogger, currently running two legal blogs, the California Biotech Law Blog and the Silicon Valley IP Licensing Law Blog. Ms. Prinz is an active member of the American Bar Association, where she serves as Chair of both the Programs and VOIP Committees of the Science and Technology Section.  She is also active in the Cyberspace Committee of the ABA and California State Bar’s Business Sections and in the Silicon Valley Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners, where she recently finished a three-year term as a member of the board of directors.  Her other activities include currently serving on the Advisory Board for the Silicon Valley Chapter of Licensing Executives Society. Additionally, Ms. Prinz has been a regular contributor to the “Ask the Lawyer” column on intellectual property law for Lawyers.com, is the author of The California Biotech Law Blog and the Silicon Valley IP Licensing Law Blog; and is a frequent speaker on intellectual property and ecommerce issues.  Ms. Prinz’s media interviews and appearances include Dow Jones, CNN Radio, American Public Radio’s “Marketplace,” IPO 360, California Lawyer, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, and Sky Radio. Ms. Prinz graduated summa cum laude with a BA in Political Science and Spanish from Furman University, and she is a graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Law. Time: approximately 54 minutes

Secrets to Launching an Effective Blog to Promote Your Business

Price: $35.  Special: Free Viewing Click here to view Have you heard stories about how other businesses have launched blogs to promote their businesses?  Are you interested in launching a blog to promote your business as well?  This program will share some of the secrets to launching an effective business blog, addressing such issues as:

• Choosing the best name and subject for a business blog;
• Selecting the best domain name for a business blog;
• Finding the right voice for a business blog;
• Targeting the right audience;
• Choosing the right platform and host;
• Developing the right blog design and layout for a business blog;
• Maximizing the SEO value of a business blog;
• Finding the best content for a business blog; and
• Advertising and promoting a business blog.

The speaker for this program is Kristie Prinz, who is the Managing Principal of Prinz Law Management Consulting.  Ms. Prinz is an avid blogger who recently launched the new  Start-up Law Firm Blog and has two other legal blogs, the California Biotech Law Blog and the Silicon Valley IP Licensing Law Blog.  Ms. Prinz is a frequent speaker on blog-related issues, and recently completed a monograph titled “Managing the Risks of Employee Blogging,” which is scheduled to be published by the Science and Technology Law Section of the American Bar Association.  Her consulting practice advises small law firms on a variety of business issues such as building a web presence, blogging issues, small firm advertising and promotion, law firm technology, financing the law firm, and business development. When she is not consulting, Ms. Prinz practices law and is the Managing Principal for The Prinz Law Office, an IP boutique law firm in Silicon Valley, CA.  Her practice includes the drafting and negotiation of intellectual property licenses and related agreements in the high technology and life sciences industries, as well as advising clients across a range of issues in the intellectual property and e-commerce areas. Ms. Prinz is an active member of the American Bar Association, where she serves as Chair of both the Programs and the VOIP Committees of the Science and Technology Section.  She is also active in the Cyberspace Committee of the ABA’s Business Section and in the Silicon Valley Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners, where she recently finished a three-year term as a member of the board of directors.  Her other activities include currently serving on the Advisory Board for the Silicon Valley Chapter of the Licensing Executives Society. In addition, Ms. Prinz has been a regular contributor to the “Ask the Lawyer” column on intellectual property law for Lawyers.com, and is a frequent speaker on intellectual property and e-commerce issues.  Ms. Prinz’s media interviews and appearances include Dow Jones, CNN Radio, American Public Radio’s Marketplace, IPO 360, California Lawyer, Genetic Engineering  & Biotechnology News, and Sky Radio. Ms. Prinz graduated summa cum laude with a BA in Political Science and Spanish from Furman University, and she is a graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Law.

What Every Small Business Needs to Know About Intellectual Property

Price: $25. Special: Free Viewing Click here to view If your small business is not in the life sciences or high technology industry, then you may think that your company has no intellectual property that you should be concerned about.  However, the reality is that most small businesses today have intellectual property, regardless of the industry that they are in. This program was created to educate small businesses on what types of intellectual property they may have in their business and some of the issues that they need to be aware of.  Program highlights include explaining what constitutes a copyrightable work, common copyright issues that arise for small businesses, how to ensure that you own the rights in design materials that you have developed, and  how to protect your business ideas and plans.  The program is primarily intended for business owners who have a “low tech” business and are not regularly dealing with intellectual property issues in their company,  so no prior knowledge of intellectual property is assumed. The speaker for this event is Kristie Prinz, the Managing Principal of the intellectual property and e-commerce boutique law firm, The Prinz Law Office, located in Silicon Valley, CA, who has extensive experience in working with entrepreneurs, start-up companies, and small businesses in the Silicon Valley. Ms. Prinz is a frequent speaker and media contributor on intellectual property-related issues.  Her media interviews and appearances include Dow Jones, CNN Radio, American Public Radio’s “Marketplace,” IP360, California Lawyer, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, and Sky Radio.  She also authors the California Biotech Law Blog and the Silicon Valley IP Licensing Law Blog, and has been a regular contributor to the “Ask the Lawyer” column on intellectual property law for Lawyers.com. Ms. Prinz is an active member of the American Bar Association, where she serves as Chair of both the Programs and VOIP Committees of the Science and Technology Section.  She is also active in the Cyberspace Committee of the ABA and California State Bar’s Business Sections and in the Silicon Valley Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners, where she recently finished a three-year term as a member of the board of directors.  Her other activities include currently serving on the Advisory Board for the Silicon Valley Chapter of Licensing Executives Society.  Ms. Prinz previously served as chair of the ABA’s Copyright Licensing Subcommittee for the Intellectual Property Law Section, and has served multiple terms on the Copyright Law and Corporate IP Management Committees for the Intellectual Property Owners Association. Ms. Prinz graduated summa cum laude with a BA in Political Science and Spanish from Furman University, and she is a graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Law. Time: approximately 33 minutes.

Social and Professional Online Networking: An Introduction to How Small Firms Can Make the Most of the Tools Available on the Internet

Price: $15.00 Click here to view The Web is increasingly being used not only for social purposes but also for business purposes.  This program  addresses how small law firms and solo practitioners can utilize the Internet and social media to develop and build their practices. This webinar is based on a presentation, which was first featured by The Prinz Law Office Founder and Managing Principal Kristie Prinz at the ABA Business Section Meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia,  Canada on April 16, 2009. The program explores how Ms. Prinz has used the Internet to build The Prinz Law Office, and provides some tips on how small firms can begin to build a presence on the Internet. Ms. Prinz is a frequent speaker on blog and Internet law issues and recently completed work on a monograph titled “Managing the Risks of Employee Blogging,” which is scheduled to be published by the Science and Technology Law Section of the American Bar Association.  Ms. Prinz is also an avid blogger, currently running two legal blogs, the California Biotech Law Blog and the Silicon Valley IP Licensing Law Blog. Ms. Prinz is an active member of the American Bar Association, where she serves as Chair of both the Programs and VOIP Committees of the Science and Technology Section.  She is also active in the Cyberspace Committee of the ABA and California State Bar’s Business Sections and in the Silicon Valley Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners, where she recently finished a three-year term as a member of the board of directors.  Her other activities include currently serving on the Advisory Board for the Silicon Valley Chapter of Licensing Executives Society. Additionally, Ms. Prinz has been a regular contributor to the “Ask the Lawyer” column on intellectual property law for Lawyers.com, is the author of The California Biotech Law Blog and the Silicon Valley IP Licensing Law Blog; and is a frequent speaker on intellectual property and ecommerce issues.  Ms. Prinz’s media interviews and appearances include Dow Jones, CNN Radio, American Public Radio’s “Marketplace,” IPO 360, California Lawyer, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, and Sky Radio. Ms. Prinz graduated summa cum laude with a BA in Political Science and Spanish from Furman University, and she is a graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Law. Time: approximately 21 minutes.

What You Need to Know About Nondisclosure Agreements

Price: $45.  Special: Free Viewing Click here to view Nondisclosure agreements are perhaps the most overlooked agreements at any business.  However, companies overlook these agreements at their own peril.  This presentation examines what you really need to be considering in these agreements.  Program highlights include an overview of  the elements that should be in a well-drafted nondisclosure agreement and some of the tricks and traps that businesses often fall into in negotiating these agreements. This webinar is based on a program, which was first presented to several clients in 2008 and 2009 in order to educate them on the issues involving nondisclosure agreements. The program is designed to educate businesses on the important aspects of a nondisclosure agreement and to inform them about some of the issues that they need to watch out for in these types of agreements. The speaker for this event is Kristie Prinz, the Managing Principal of the intellectual property and e-commerce boutique law firm, The Prinz Law Office, located in Silicon Valley, CA, who has extensive experience in negotiating and drafting nondisclosure agreements for high tech and life sciences clients. Ms. Prinz is a frequent speaker and media contributor on intellectual property-related issues.  Her media interviews and appearances include Dow Jones, CNN Radio, American Public Radio’s “Marketplace,” IP360, California Lawyer, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, and Sky Radio.  She also authors the California Biotech Law Blog and the Silicon Valley IP Licensing Law Blog, and has been a regular contributor to the “Ask the Lawyer” column on intellectual property law for Lawyers.com. Ms. Prinz is an active member of the American Bar Association, where she serves as Chair of both the Programs and VOIP Committees of the Science and Technology Section.  She is also active in the Cyberspace Committee of the ABA and California State Bar’s Business Sections and in the Silicon Valley Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners, where she recently finished a three-year term as a member of the board of directors.  Her other activities include currently serving on the Advisory Board for the Silicon Valley Chapter of Licensing Executives Society.  Ms. Prinz previously served as chair of the ABA’s Copyright Licensing Subcommittee for the Intellectual Property Law Section, and has served multiple terms on the Copyright Law and Corporate IP Management Committees for the Intellectual Property Owners Association. Ms. Prinz graduated summa cum laude with a BA in Political Science and Spanish from Furman University, and she is a graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Law. Time: approximately 26 minutes.

Employee Blogs and Websites: How to Protect Your Company from the Legal Risk of Workers Going Online

Price: $45.  Special: Free Viewing Click here to view Given the popularity of blogging, an increasing number of workers are actively engaged in social media.  While employers can benefit from employee blogging, it also can create new risks for businesses. This webinar was first presented by The Prinz Law Office Founder Kristie Prinz on July 15, 2008 for American Features Syndicate.  The response was so overwhelming that American Features Syndicate asked Kristie to repeat the program again on August 1, 2008. The program is designed to educate companies on the legal risks from employee blogging and to provide them with some best practices to manage those risk. Ms. Prinz is a frequent speaker on blog law issues and recently completed work on a monograph titled “Managing the Risks of Employee Blogging,” which is scheduled to be published by the Science and Technology Law Section of the American Bar Association.  Ms. Prinz is also an avid blogger, currently running two legal blogs, the California Biotech Law Blog and the Silicon Valley IP Licensing Law Blog. Ms. Prinz is an active member of the American Bar Association, where she serves as Chair of both the Programs and VOIP Committees of the Science and Technology Section.  She is also active in the Cyberspace Committee of the ABA and California State Bar’s Business Sections and in the Silicon Valley Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners, where she recently finished a three-year term as a member of the board of directors.  Her other activities include currently serving on the Advisory Board for the Silicon Valley Chapter of Licensing Executives Society. Additionally, Ms. Prinz has been a regular contributor to the “Ask the Lawyer” column on intellectual property law for Lawyers.com, is the author of The California Biotech Law Blog and the Silicon Valley IP Licensing Law Blog; and is a frequent speaker on intellectual property and ecommerce issues.  Ms. Prinz’s media interviews and appearances include Dow Jones, CNN Radio, American Public Radio’s “Marketplace,” IPO 360, California Lawyer, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, and Sky Radio. Ms. Prinz graduated summa cum laude with a BA in Political Science and Spanish from Furman University, and she is a graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Law. Time: 40 minutes.

Leveraging an IP Portfolio in the Development of Partnering Relationships

Price: $25. Special: Free Viewing

Click here to view How do you leverage an intellectual property portfolio and develop the relationships that will enable you to successfully commercialize your IP?  This presentation looks at the process of how to take the IP that you have developed and build the partnering relationships required to create a revenue stream for your organization. This webinar was based on a presentation, which was first featured by The Prinz Law Office Founder and Managing Principal Kristie Prinz on June 10, 2008 at the Ninth Annual Beyond Genome: Tools to Therapies Conference in San Francisco, CA. The program was designed to examine the process of how businesses can commercialize intellectual property through partnering relationships. Ms. Prinz is a frequent speaker and media contributor on intellectual property-related issues.  Her media interviews and appearances include Dow Jones, CNN Radio, American Public Radio’s “Marketplace,” IP360, California Lawyer, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, and Sky Radio.  She also authors the California Biotech Law Blog and the Silicon Valley IP Licensing Law Blog, and has been a regular contributor to the “Ask the Lawyer” column on intellectual property law for Lawyers.com. Ms. Prinz is an active member of the American Bar Association, where serves as a Committee Chair for the  Science and Technology Section.  She is also active in the Silicon Valley Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners, where she recently finished a three-year term as the Director of Life Sciences/Biotechnology.  Her other activities include currently serving on the Advisory Board for the Silicon Valley Chapter of Licensing Executives Society.  Ms. Prinz previously served as chair of the ABA’s Copyright Licensing Subcommittee for the Intellectual Property Law Section, and has served multiple terms on the Copyright Law and Corporate IP Management Committees for the Intellectual Property Owners Association. Ms. Prinz graduated summa cum laude with a BA in Political Science and Spanish from Furman University, and she is a graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Law. Time: 18 minutes.