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Welcome to the MoFo Tech Blog

MoFo Tech brings together legal insights and in-depth analyses on trends and complex issues shaping the global technology industry, covering fields such as blockchain and distributed ledger, cloud and SaaS technologies, driverless cars, drones, FinTech, computer hardware and software, the IoT, semiconductors, and telecommunications.

November 08, 2023 - Artificial Intelligence
AI Executive Order – Patent Issues
By: Tessa J. Schwartz, Joshua A. Crawford and Anna Yuan
President Biden’s Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence was issued on November 1, 2023, and has made waves throughout the AI industry. Morrison Foerster has been reviewing the executive order (EO) and considering its impact in
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November 02, 2023 - Mergers + Acquisitions, Artificial Intelligence
What's the Forecast for Tech M&A?
Morrison Foerster is pleased to share with our clients and friends the results of our 2023 Tech M&A Survey, published in conjunction with Mergermarket. Mergermarket surveyed 300 dealmakers from around the world in order to gain valuable insights into the future of technology-related M&A.
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October 23, 2023 - Intellectual Property, Regulatory
Top 10 Considerations in Licensing Cleantech Innovations
By: Matthew A. Ferry, Anita Choi and Emily Jane Roberts Ph.D.
Introduction Spurred by both planetary and economic needs, the industry commonly referred to as “cleantech”—short for “clean technology”—has been on the rise. Current estimates predict clean energy technologies could dominate oil and gas by as early as 2030 ( Global cleantech market size by country
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August 10, 2023 - Artificial Intelligence
High Walls and Small Gardens: Biden Administration Unveils Outbound Investment Screening
By: James M. Brower, Brandon L. Van Grack, Charles L. Capito and Joseph A. Benkert
On August 9, 2023, President Biden issued a long-anticipated executive order (EO) to address investments by U.S. persons in companies that engage with certain categories of technology and products located in the People’s Republic of China. Read our client alert.
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July 24, 2023 - Artificial Intelligence
AI Leaders Commit to White House Supported Guidelines
By: Tessa J. Schwartz
In coordination with the White House , several leaders in the artificial intelligence (AI) space have publicly committed to a voluntary set of guidelines relating to responsible development and deployment of AI. Amazon, Anthropic, Google, Inflection, Meta, Microsoft, and OpenAI made immediate public commitments
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May 15, 2023 - Artificial Intelligence
Generative AI and Copyright: Roundtable Series Recap
By: Justin H. Haan, Joseph C. Gratz, Anthony M. Ramirez, Aaron P. Rubin, Stephanie Lynn Sharron, Roman A. Swoopes and Heather M. Whitney
Throughout April, Morrison Foerster sponsored and participated in a series of roundtable discussions hosted by Creative Commons regarding generative AI and copyright. The roundtables—in Boston, New York, and San Francisco—brought together in-house counsel from companies developing generative AI tools, scholars, business leaders, and nonprofit advisors.
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May 03, 2023 - Artificial Intelligence
New York City AI Law: Trials, Tribulations, And Uncertainties
By: Miriam H. Wugmeister, Michael Schulman and Sadé V. Tidwell
New York City (NYC) is the first U.S. jurisdiction to pass an expansive law regulating the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in hiring. Local Law 144 of 2021 (LL144) prohibits employers and employment agencies from using an automated employment decision tool (AEDT) to make
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April 27, 2023 - Artificial Intelligence
FDA Publishes Draft Guidance for Predetermined Change Control Plan for AI/ML-Enabled Device Software Functions
By: Brigid DeCoursey Bondoc and Brandy A. Guarda
On April 3, 2023, FDA released the draft guidance titled “ Marketing Submission Recommendations for a Predetermined Change Control Plan for Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML)-Enabled Device Software Functions ” (hereinafter “draft guidance”) proposing an approach to support iterative improvement through modifications to a machine
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April 26, 2023 - Artificial Intelligence
10 Considerations When Licensing AI For Drug Discovery
By: Stephanie Lynn Sharron, Annalisa Elizabeth Cooper, Wolfgang Schönig and Robert Grohmann
Stephanie Sharron, Annalisa Cooper, and Wolfgang Schoenig, with assistance from Robert Grohmann, authored an article for Law360 explaining the top ten considerations when licensing AI for drug discovery. The ten considerations are: Consider the nature of the services being provided. Be mindful of IP
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April 25, 2023 - Artificial Intelligence
Key Issues in Generative AI Transactions
By: Aaron P. Rubin and Heather M. Whitney
Over the past year, we have seen a dramatic increase in the adoption of AI technologies across industries. Because transactions involving AI technologies can resemble those involving traditional software, like SaaS agreements, parties often assume that their expectations from those standard agreements about what
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