Posts Tagged ‘tech lawyer’
Should Data Collected from a Smart Device Be Usable in a Criminal Prosecution?
The increasing reliance on “smart” devices is creating a variety of new legal issues, including the following: whether or not data collected from a “smart” device should be usable in a criminal prosecution? This fact pattern came up recently in an Arkansas murder case, where an Amazon Echo was in a home where a body…
Read MoreSenate Bill Raises Concerns of Scope of Federal Regulation of Non-Commercial Drone Use
To what extent should drone activity be regulated by the federal government? That is the question being raised today by commentators in response to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s approval of the Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) reauthorization bill (S. 2658). On one hand, the bill sets a two year time period…
Read MoreIt Pays to be Cautious When Asked to Sign a Contract with an Employer
As a Silicon Valley tech transactions attorney, I regularly receive calls from engineers, developers, and other employees in the technology industry who have concerns about something that an employer has asked them to sign in the past or is asking them to sign at the time of the call. Inevitably the person calling is torn…
Read MoreTechnology is Not Eliminating Need for Lawyers But Making Lawyers Work Smarter
Is technology making lawyers obsolete? This was the question raised by John Markoff in a recent New York Times article. However, it has been a favorite topic of discussion by consultants to our profession for some time. While there is no question that the practice of law has changed tremendously since even I began practicing…
Read MoreCalifornia Legislators Contemplating New Regulation of Drones
The increasing popularity of drones apparently has caught the attention of CA lawmakers, who have just introduced SB 142, which would prohibit the unauthorized use of unmanned aerial vehicles over private property. I guess my question is what to do with all the child-sized violators, who accidentally run the new toy drones that they received…
Read MoreWhy Understanding Your Technology Model is the Key to Drafting a Good Contract
If you work at a software company and are involved at all with agreements, you may be interested in a recent posting that I wrote at Silicon Valley Software Law Blog on why understanding your technology model is so critical to properly drafting and even reviewing contracts: Software Licensing vs. Software-as-a-Service (“Saas”) : The Importance…
Read MoreIs Another Tech Bubble Emerging in Silicon Valley?
A debate seems to be developing as to whether or not the Silicon Valley has a tech bubble emerging. An increasing number of commentators are raising issues about tech company valuations, spending by VC-backed companies, and the excess of capital in the market. The question for all of us is what this means exactly for…
Read More