Announcements

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.

September 12, 2019 - Regulatory, Telecommunications
Challenges of a Mobile Workforce
Gone are the days that employees work from only one location from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. With employees traveling throughout the U.S., and in many instances, having some employees telecommuting, a company must be diligent. These mobile employees can give rise to potential
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September 11, 2019 - Announcements, Intellectual Property
Morrison & Foerster Launches Complimentary Tracker for Northern District of California IP Cases
We are pleased to announce the launch of the MoFo NDCal IP Resource Center. This complimentary resource is available to the public and provides insights on the judges, trends, and decisions for intellectual property cases for the last five years in the United States
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September 10, 2019 - Privacy + Data Security
The Company Who Cried “General Audience”: Google and YouTube to Pay $170 Million for Alleged COPPA Violations
By: Julie O'Neill
Last week, the Federal Trade Commission made clear that child-directed parts of an otherwise general audience service will subject the operator of the service to COPPA. Just six months after the FTC’s record-setting settlement against TikTok, the FTC announced a $170 million fine against Google and its subsidiary
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September 03, 2019 - Regulatory, Artificial Intelligence, Intellectual Property
AI Patent Policy – Calling All Technology Practitioners
By: Anna Yuan and Karen G Potter Ph.D.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become one of the most disruptive technologies of our era. For many technology companies and startups, AI constitutes the core of their prized products, from autonomous vehicles to pick-and-place robots to voice assistants. With the rapid development of AI comes
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August 12, 2019 - Asia, Telecommunications
New Rule Implementing NDAA Prohibition: U.S. Agencies Cannot Enter Contracts That Use Chinese Telecom Technology
By: W. Jay DeVecchio, Joseph A. Benkert and Charles L. Capito
The latest in a string of U.S. government (USG) actions restricting the use of Chinese technology in the U.S. supply chain is an interim rule issued by the Department of Defense (DoD), General Services Administration (GSA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) implementing the first phase of
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August 07, 2019 - Litigation, Intellectual Property
Preparing for the Increased Globalization of IP Litigation
Morrison & Foerster surveyed intellectual property decision-makers from more than 50 companies with revenues greater than $750 million each. The study showed that, while intellectual-property litigation has decreased by 26% since 2015, the amount that companies spend on intellectual-property litigation is higher than ever.
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August 07, 2019 - Blockchain, Fintech
Understanding Blockchain - What is Cryptography?
In the third episode of “Understanding Blockchain,” Morrison & Foerster’s Susan Gault-Brown and Dario de Martino discuss one of blockchain’s foundational technologies – cryptography. This ongoing series is dedicated to providing an overall understanding of blockchain technology and how companies can use it to
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August 01, 2019 - Privacy + Data Security
Back to School Early: FTC Seeks Comments to COPPA Rule Ahead of Schedule
By: Julie O'Neill
Advancements in technology appear to have spurred the Federal Trade Commission to initiate a review of its rule promulgated pursuant to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (the “COPPA Rule” or “Rule”) four years ahead of schedule. Last week, the FTC published a Federal
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July 31, 2019 - Intellectual Property, Software
DOD’s Other Transactions: Data Rights & Intellectual Property Simplified
By: W. Jay DeVecchio
The Department of Defense is actively pursuing “Other Transactions” (OTs) instead of procurement contracts. This allows DOD and its contractors to avoid many of the most burdensome aspects of the procurement regulations. But it also allows for even more confusion than usual about how
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July 30, 2019 - Privacy + Data Security
New York State Enacts More Stringent Breach Notification Law
By: Miriam H. Wugmeister
New York is the latest state to expand its breach notification law with the Stop Hacks and Improve Electronic Data Security (SHIELD) Act, signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo on July 25, 2019. A number of the key changes that the law ushers—including
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