Technology

We are often presented with the question of whether electronic signatures are enforceable. The answer is yes. There is an entire statutory regime under both state and federal law which gives validity to electronic signatures. This article gives a high level overview of best practices for optimizing your use of electronic signatures.

New York-based advertising powerhouse Grey Group has launched a new, tech-focused unit aimed at engaging directly with the cutting-edge material required by its present and future clients. Called Grey Adventures, the unit will work to create new products, services, and business models for the agency. Partnering with both innovative start-ups and established tech companies alike, the practice combines Grey’s creative capital with its deep, material understanding of the tech space. The team will be led by Evan Kraut, Grey’s managing director of Grey Adventures, and Darren Moran, the agency’s head of innovation.

SeedInvest is a leading equity crowdfunding platform founded in 2012. Its mission is to transform the broken private company fundraising process to make it easier for entrepreneurs to raise capital by opening up access to venture capital and angel investing to everyone. Equity crowdfunding is important because it has the potential to allow founders to spend less time fundraising and more time building their businesses, which is what matters most. It also allows startups to turn their most ardent supporters and customers into investors for the first time.

In this issue, we answer the question we are asked on a weekly basis: Are electronic signatures enforceable? (spoiler alert….the answer is YES). We also feature an amazing company called SeedInvest, a true pioneer in terms of raising a company online from the crowd. Additionally, consistent with our focus on robotics, we have an interesting article about selling your robotics company.

Cynthia Larose – Chair of the Privacy & Security Practice Group at Mintz – was named by the National Diversity Council as one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Technology for 2016. Honorees are women serving as top leaders in their organizations and professions, who maintain a record of accomplishments in areas of expertise, operate with the highest integrity, demonstrate a commitment to corporate citizenship, and serve as effective role models to inspire the next generation of female professionals.

All patent applications submitted to the United States Patent And Trademark Office (USPTO) are examined subject to the requirements set forth in 35 U.S.C. §§101, 102, 103, 112, which respectively address patent eligibility, novelty, inventiveness (e.g. non-obviousness), and disclosure and other formal requirements (e.g., enablement, written description, and clarity/definiteness).

In this issue we feature Gotham Greens, an amazing company growing premium quality lettuces and herbs on large urban rooftops in NYC and Chicago. Environmentally conscious and also fast-growing, Gotham Greens epitomizes the ideal of creating meaningful economic value by doing good! We also highlight a number of interesting legal proposals that could affect email privacy and angel investing. Additionally, we discuss a new law that will facilitate the resales of securities of private companies and a new tax credit for biotech companies based in NYC.

MintzTech Industry Update - The HALOS Act & The Email Privacy Act

The Venture Café Foundation believes that every person with an idea should feel empowered to become a successful entrepreneur, regardless of background, origin, or education. The company is a Massachusetts Not­for­Profit Corporation, incorporated as a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to connect the innovation community, expand the definition of innovation, and build a more inclusive innovation economy. The Venture Café Foundation enhances and accelerates the innovation process through workspaces, programs, and conversations for individuals and organizations to gather and build relationships.

Our client Gotham Greens is pioneering the urban agriculture field by providing its diverse retail, restaurant, and institutional customers with premium-quality lettuces and herbs grown from rooftop greenhouses in NYC and Chicago. The company’s pesticide-free, non-GMO produce is grown using ecologically sustainable methods, meeting the highest standards of food safety. Sent to local stores and grocers, its crops are designed for eating, not travel. But the real innovation lies in Gotham Greens’s 100% clean energy–powered, climate-controlled, urban greenhouses, which produce over 50% more crops than conventional greenhouses while using 25% less energy per pound.

Mintz is proud to be one of the exclusive legal sponsors of the 2016 MIT 100K Competition providing mentorship to semi-finalists and support for the many events during the course of the competition.

This month we turn the spotlight on Conduce, our client in beautiful Carpinteria, California, that is transforming the way companies see and understand all of their data to make better decisions. Conduce gives leaders a single pane of glass where they can see internal and external data from any source, and explore it any way they want — any data from any source in a single intuitive interface. It puts people in the middle of their data.

As the Northeast begins (hopefully) to thaw out and we head into an early spring (so said the Groundhog), we are excited to deliver our new issue of MintzTech Connect — our bimonthly newsletter on “all things technology” in the legal and business world, from our perspective, of course.

There’s a lot going on in the world of drone or unmanned aerial system (UAS) regulation in the United States. Companies from start-ups to large defense contractors are pursuing commercial opportunities to develop drones and drone technology. At Mintz we are working with companies engaged in UAS manufacturing, aerial survey, and commercial cinematography to help them navigate the complex of regulations.

Mintz was excited to see its client, Current Motor, win the second annual Michigan MobiPrize. Presented by NextEnergy and the University of Michigan’s Sustainable Mobility and Accessibility Research and Transformation (SMART), the award honors Michigan-based mobility entrepreneurs who are developing and commercializing innovative mobility solutions in Michigan.

Mintz is very excited to announce the launch of “The State of the Cleanweb“ report, which we are proud to support. Within, resources and energy are referred to as “software’s next meal” — and you’ll want to know why! The report was produced by SuperCollider with data powered by CB Insights, and is also supported by New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

MintzTech Innovator Profiles - YieldStreet & ChyronHego

From the days of divesting assets from companies doing business in apartheid South Africa and withholding investments to protest big tobacco, values-based investing has come a long way. And it’s no longer just about hippie companies like Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, which pioneered the concept of corporate social responsibility. With impact investing, investors are now seeking to use the markets to solve the toughest challenges of our time, such as financial inclusion, climate change, access to health care, and affordable housing. So what exactly is impact investing?

Welcome to the second issue of MintzTech Connect — our bi-monthly newsletter on “all things technology” in the legal and business world, from our perspective, of course. This issue contains some key industry news, profiles on two exciting companies, an article about the ever growing “impact investing” space, and an amazing CleanWeb Report on which we collaborated with other industry participants. Also, don’t miss the list of events taking place in key start-up hubs around the country.

MintzTech Industry Updates - Regulation Crowdfunding & The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act