Weekly IP Buzz for week ending March 2, 2018 --
Here's a summary of interesting developments in intellectual property, technology, social media, and Internet law for the week ending March 2, 2018.
The Intersection of Cryptocurrency and Intellectual Property Law
This marks the last article in a series of blog posts regarding cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. While cryptocurrency still seems like a relatively new term to the average citizen, cryptocurrency and blockchain technology have been around for about a decade. Its recent surge in popularity, however, has raised new questions about ownership, legal protection, and intellectual property law’s role in its burgeoning growth. This article discusses relationships between blockchain technology and intellectual property law. More
Is Your Ownership Agreement Leaving You in the Lurch?
I had an all too familiar phone call last night with a potential new client. Three individuals formed a business entity through which they were going to launch a promising new software application. They had done everything right – they engaged an attorney to handle the formation and had divided up operating responsibilities according to each person’s strengths. The idea was relevant, the technology was functionally strong, and the angel investors were interested – all was looking good. Then, two of the founders learned that the third had been behaving improperly and perhaps illegally – they wanted that person out . . . out of everything . . . out of operations, out of any officer position, off the board . . . and, “we want the equity back because this person should not be able to retain ownership after breaching contracts and duties.” More
Is a Simpler Life More Important Than Consumer Security?
Innovation in technology is continuously providing us with new smart and intuitive devices to help make our lives simpler. With numerous companies running to get new products to market, a couple questions come to mind: Are all these companies keeping consumer security in mind when creating their products? How is the technology regulated for consumer security? There isn’t a clear-cut answer to either question. Yet, consumers are quick to buy and use products and software for a wide spectrum of fields, including devices that provide entertainment, make product purchases, inventory refrigerators, monitor babies, provide home security, and control medical devices; as well as new technologies for businesses, such as intelligence apps for legal research used by lawyers and business intelligence apps used by corporate executives. More
For more posts, see our Intellectual Property, Technology, Business Law, Social Media, and Internet Law blog.
