Technology

In Harper Lee’s book, To Kill a Mockingbird, the protagonist Atticus Finch tells his son: “One never really understands a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it”. Unless you take the time to stand in another person’s shoes and see the world from that person’s perspective, we really don’t process very well what others may be saying or feeling. In this challenging time of a global pandemic and national outrage for systemic social injustices, we urge all of our readers to listen (truly listen) to your colleagues and try to understand better what it is like to be in another person’s shoes. Black Lives Matter and it is up to all of us to listen, support each other, and to see how we can make this world better. We have assembled a list of books that may help deepen that understanding and encourage us all to work diligently to build the equitable world we all want for ourselves and our fellow citizens.

This edition of MintzTech Connect features articles on the Federal Reserve Main Street Lending Program and the pros and forms of different forms of business entities.

Choosing the form of your business entity is one of the first and most important steps toward running a successful business. Three of the most common entity types are C-Corporations, S-Corporations and Limited Liability Companies (LLCs). Each entity type has its own advantages and disadvantages, including with respect to taxation, attractiveness to investors and simplicity.

This alert discusses what companies outsourcing critical business process functions to India should do in light of the Indian government’s order that telecom, IT, and other technology companies should, as far as possible, work from home.

Read the transcript of a San Francisco Business Times panel discussion on artificial intelligence, including ML Strategies Vice President Christian T. Fjeld’s insights on emerging regulatory issues.

In this article, Mintz attorney Kati Pajak provides guidance on how to adjust contract language to be gender-neutral.

Learn about upcoming events for start-ups, entrepreneurs, and the tech community.

This issue of MintzTech Connect includes tax guidance on the treatment of virtual currencies, a “how-to” for writing gender-neutral agreements, and a podcast on the basics of venture debt.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates wireless medical devices in conjunction with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with the FCC’s role related to certain technical concerns such as the successful sharing of wireless frequency bands. Another area that FCC regulates is radio frequency (RF) safety – the possible harmful effects to human health from RF energy created by wireless devices. The FCC looks to health and safety agencies such as the FDA, EPA, and OSHA, to provide guidance and recommendations on what level of RF emissions are deemed “safe,” and then sets rules for how responsible parties must evaluate compliance with these limits. These rules on safe emission levels apply generally to devices that produce RF signals. The FCC proposed modifications to its RF safety rules in 2013, and finally on December 4, 2019, issued a decision that adopts many of its proposals.

This alert takes a detailed look at the additional guidance issued by the IRS on October 9, 2019 on the tax treatment of cryptocurrency.

On September 20, 2019, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) filed a Notice of Public Review of the proposed 225 CMR 21.00, the Clean Peak Energy Portfolio Standard regulation. DOER seeks public comment on the proposed regulation. Originally part of An Act to Advance Clean Energy, which was signed into law in 2018, the Clean Peak Energy Portfolio Standard, or Clean Peak Standard (CPS), is designed to reduce demand at peak times and to shift energy use at these times to clean energy source.

MintzTech upcoming events - October 2019

Using Vivastream, an event data analytics platform, companies that host their own events or exhibit at a third party industry event can learn more about attendee behavior: What was each attendee interested in? How does this compare to their stated interests? Which content and topics did they find most engaging?

This issue of TechConnect covers common Equity Incentive Plan mistakes and profiles event data analytics company Vivastream and Gas It Up, a start-up focused on mobile gasoline delivery.

Gas It Up set out to solve an obvious problem: No one likes to fill up their vehicle with gas! Not only is it inconvenient, especially in inclement weather, but filling up at a gas station can also be unnecessarily expensive and unsafe — exposing you to potential credit card fraud and an increased risk of physical harm. The solution? High quality, cost-competitive fuel, delivered directly to your vehicle.

Equity Incentive Plans (aka, Stock Option Plans) are a standard feature in nearly every start-up. Although the basic concept (granting an equity interest to an employee or other service provider) is simple enough, there are a few administrative and legal technicalities that need to be respected. Below is a list of five common mistakes that start-ups make when administering their Equity Incentive Plans.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly becoming important across a diverse spectrum of technologies and businesses. As AI grows in importance in business and technology, so too grows the number of patent applications and the potential for uncertainty. Therefore, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) must continue to ensure the appropriate balance in the administration of our IP system.

In this episode of MintzEdge’s From the Edge podcast, attorney Ben Stone talks to Ananth Kasturiraman and Caroline Fay, co-founders of Skillist, about how their company connects employers with untapped talent in order to increase the efficiency of the labor market.

Skillist addresses underemployment through a skill-based, identity-blind online process. Find out what we miss when we rely entirely on resumes for job applications, how a new platform addresses unconscious bias in hiring, Skillist’s backstory, and more in this exciting podcast.

Recently, California passed the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), currently the nation’s leading state law regarding consumer privacy. The CCPA will become effective January 1, 2020. Companies that need to comply will have less than eight months to come up with a compliance plan and revise their business model, if necessary.