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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.

January 23, 2018 - Blockchain, Financings, Fintech
SEC Staff Raises Concerns Related to Cryptocurrency ETFs and Mutual Funds
By: Kelley A. Howes
On January 18, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Division of Investment Management broke its relative silence regarding the recent growth of cryptocurrencies and cryptocurrency-related products. While signaling that registration of funds intending to invest substantially in cryptocurrency and related products is not
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January 22, 2018 - Blockchain, Financings, Fintech
Five "C"s To Watch in Silicon Valley’s Emerging Venture Capital Ecosystem in 2018
By: Murray A. Indick
In the coming year, start-up businesses and their investors should note the following areas, each of which can be boiled down to a single word that begins with the letter “C”: the importance of having access to the best human capital (“connections”); the likelihood
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January 18, 2018 - Regulatory, Financings
Proceed To Check Out? The Impact Of 2018 European E-Commerce Reforms
By: Alistair Maughan, Kristina Ehle and Sana Ashcroft
The European Union (EU) has made reform of the e-commerce rules in Europe one of its main priorities for 2018. The European Commission has already published two proposed Directives relating to cross-border e-commerce but legislative progress has been slow – a situation that the
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January 09, 2018 - Regulatory, Intellectual Property
Regulatory Changes Ahead: The 2018 Landscape for Technology Businesses in Europe
By: Alistair Maughan
The European Union’s annual Work Programme states that, in 2018, the European Commission will prioritize the following technology issues: Establishing a regulatory framework for online communications; Reforming copyrights in the digital single market (DSM); Regulating contracts that concern the supply of digital content; Preventing
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January 05, 2018 - Blockchain, Financings, Fintech
KNO-MO? The Seemingly Small (Yet Actually Chasmic) Gap Between Crypto Knowledge & Crypto Capability
Many consumers are knowledgeable enough about cryptocurrencies to be able to identify which tokens they want to purchase, but not tech-savvy enough to know how to purchase those tokens. Businesses that can provide better instruction on token purchasing or create more user-friendly interfaces are
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November 17, 2017 - Privacy + Data Security, Software
The Cost of Ransomware Attacks
A form of economic extortion, ransomware attacks rose by 250% last year, and the United States was harder hit than any other country. Learn just how much this plague on the cybersecurity landscape is costing companies. Take a look at our ransomware infographic.
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September 20, 2017 - Blockchain, Financings, Fintech
Why The Delaware Blockchain Initiative Matters To All Dealmakers
By: Geoffrey R. Peck and Mark S. Wojciechowski
Delaware, the state where more than half of all U.S. publicly traded companies are incorporated, has taken steps to facilitate a favorable legal and regulatory environment for the development of blockchain technology. The state’s initiatives are designed to, among other things, enable companies to
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September 19, 2017 - Artificial Intelligence
USDOT Issues New Policy on Development and Deployment of Automated Vehicle Technologies
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) in September 2016 released a policy that affects stakeholders in the autonomous-vehicle-technology (AV technology) industry. The policy, among other things: Requires entities that are planning to develop AV technology to submit to the USDOT a detailed report enabling
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June 06, 2017 - Intellectual Property
ECJ Strengthens Position of Media Industry in Fight Against Piracy
By: Christoph Wagner and Patricia C. Ernst
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) issued the Filmspeler judgement on April 26, 2017, favorable to the media industry, on the liability of sellers of set-top boxes with pre-installed add-ons enabling illegal access to motion pictures, Pay-TV, and SvoD platforms (“loaded Kodi boxes”). This
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May 23, 2017 - Artificial Intelligence
A Simple Case of Statutory Interpretation: The FAA Lacks Authority to Require Model Aircraft Operators to Register
On May 19, 2017, a federal appellate court struck down part of the FAA’s attempt to safely monitor and integrate small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) into the national airspace. The D.C. Circuit found that the FAA’s Registration Rule, which was promulgated in December 2015
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