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The pace of innovation and adoption in technology – fast and getting faster – has long presented a stark contrast to the deliberate pace of change in the law. That contrast is greater than ever today, as entrepreneurs and established tech companies alike accelerate the time to market and the speed of global expansion. With that as a backdrop, DLA Piper’s Global Technology Summit, scheduled for September 27-28, 2016, at the Rosewood Sand Hill in Menlo Park, California, is expecting record attendance, and representatives from major tech players such as…
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From our colleagues Edward J. Johnsen, Wesley G. Nissen, David A. Goldstein, Jay Coogan and Robert B. Weiss

The Securities and Exchange Commission has announced that a private equity fund advisory firm and its owner have agreed to pay more than $3.1 million to settle charges that include engaging in brokerage activity and charging transaction-based fees without registering as a broker-dealer. In so doing, the SEC appears to have rekindled the fire under a long-simmering issue regarding the kinds of services that private fund advisers can provide…
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On May 11, President Barack Obama today signed the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) into law.  The law is effective immediately.  The DTSA provides a federal claim for misappropriation of trade secrets. Until now, trade secrets have been protected only at the state level, with most states (other than New York and Massachusetts) adopting their own version of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act (UTSA).

You can read more about the details of the new law here in an overview by our colleagues Victoria Lee, Rajiv Dharnidharka and Katherine Cheung…
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Today, April 14, 2016, the EU Parliament adopted the long awaited General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The Regulation will have a considerable impact on all organizations based in the European Union that process personal data, but also on organizations based outside of Europe providing services to the European market. The GDPR contains many key changes, among them a single set of rules applicable across all member states, stricter requirements for transparency and consent, and tougher enforcement. Non-EU companies whose businesses target EU countries will also be subject to the Regulation.…
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Article prepared by and republished courtesy of our colleague Matthew Grosack; originally published here: https://www.dlapiper.com/en/us/insights/publications/2016/03/commercial-use-of-drones/.

The varying commercial applications of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) – more commonly referred to as drones – across multiple industries poses a number of opportunities and challenges for companies both big and small.

On the one hand, UAS will give companies access to unprecedented insight and analytics into business operations and provide customers with new and potentially cost-effective commercial services. On the other hand, the commercial use of UAS is currently subject to regulatory scrutiny at both the federal and state levels, increasing liability exposure for prohibited uses or unauthorized operations.

As this technology becomes more mainstream and companies incorporate UAS into day-to-day business operations, it is important to consider the fluid and changing legal and regulatory framework governing what is and is not permitted.…
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Article prepared by and republished courtesy of our colleagues Sanjay M. Shirodkar, David P. Lewis and Louis Lehot; originally published here: https://www.dlapiper.com/en/us/insights/publications/2016/01/the-hot-list-2016-proxy-season-trends

As we enter 2016, we want to bring your attention to a few items that we believe will play prominent  roles in the 2016 proxy season.  In 2015, proxy access, shareholder activism and newly adopted or proposed rules from the Securities Exchange Commission were some of the big-ticket items.  These and other issues are on the hot list for this coming season. We also include a list of action items you may wish to consider as you plan for the 2016 proxy season.

Please keep in mind that the following Hot List is a summary only and is not intended to be specific legal or tax advice.  We encourage you to call the authors of this client alert or your DLA Piper contact if you have any questions or would like to discuss any of the issues described below in the context of your company.…
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From our colleagues Kelly Friedman, Tamara Hunter and Jim Halpert

This fall, more than a year after Canada’s anti-spam legislation (CASL) came into force, it is abundantly clear that the regulator, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, is taking its new responsibilities very seriously.

In the latest developments, the CRTC recently issued an Enforcement Advisory and further Guidance on Implied Consent.

The CRTC’s message is loud and clear – it will impose penalties, regardless of good intentions.

Find out more about CASL and the key messages for business in…
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From our colleague Michael McKee

The EU has adopted a new regulation, which will introduce a new legal framework for electronic signatures, seals, time stamps and electronic documents.

These rules aim at creating a uniform regime across EU for the mutual recognition of electronic identification between member states. This new regulatory framework (910/2014/EU) was published in the Official Journal of the EU on 28 August 2014 under the name “Regulation on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market” (commonly referred as “e-IDAS” Regulation).

It will…
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From our colleagues Lucas V. Muñoz, Margaret Keane, Ben Gipson and Daniel Lac

Beginning July 1, 2015, employers in the State of California are required to provide employees with paid sick leave (PSL) under the California Healthy Workplace Healthy Family Act of 2014. In short, every employee who works at least 30 days in a year is entitled to accrue PSL at a rate of at least one hour of PSL per 30 hours worked, up to 24 hours per year.

Simple enough? Not really. As employers implement…
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Contributed by our colleague Mark Radcliffe

2014 was a great year for startups seeking funding.  Two of the leading reporting companies, PitchBook and CB Insights, report similar trends (both of these reports focus on funding by traditional financial venture capitalists and corporate venture capitalists, but the numbers differ because PitchBook also includes some angel investments). The key points are:

1.  Significant Increase in the Amount of Funding:  The funding in 2014 increased dramatically from 2013: according to PitchBook,  funding increased almost $20 billion from $39.4 billion to $59 billion…
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