Technology

Expert Analysis

• From Medicine To Sexbots, AI Raises Liability Questions

  

  Artificial intelligence is already in use for applications like calculating drug dosages for cancer patients. But future uses of AI could range much further, perhaps even as depicted in TV shows like "Westworld." We are only beginning to grapple with how the law will treat liability issues raised by such technological advances, says Ileana Blanco of DLA Piper LLP.

• Opinion

  Time For Regulators To Embrace Earned Wage Access

  

  A wave of fintech providers are offering earned wage access services, which enable employees to access a portion of their wages before their next scheduled payday. While regulators have taken notice, they have yet to clarify existing rules or explicitly endorse such programs, say attorneys with McGuireWoods LLP.

• Navigating Geopolitics In US-China Investments

  

  Notwithstanding protectionist trends on both sides of the Pacific, there continues to be high levels of interest from Chinese investors looking to invest in U.S. companies and vice versa. Charles Comey and Jim Ryan of Morrison & Foerster LLP discuss the new regulatory challenges facing these deals.

• ​Takeaways From Senate Antitrust Enforcement Hearing

  

  While testifying before the Senate's antitrust subcommittee earlier this month, the chairman of the Federal Trade Commission and the head of the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division provided additional detail about several of the agencies’ initiatives, say attorneys with Paul Weiss Rikfind Wharton & Garrison LLP.

• Roundup

  Trade Wars

  

  This special series examines the legal, strategic and economic dimensions of the Trump administration's trade agenda, and assesses what the recent shifts in U.S. trade policy may mean for the country and for the established system of international commerce.

• Series

  Trade Wars: Restricting Foreign Access To US Technology

  

  The tech industry is now at the center of policies designed to protect U.S. technology from foreign access and influence — including not only restrictions on foreign investment, but also supply chain exclusions, limits on academic research, curbs on third-country technology transfers and measures against foreign control of key raw materials, says Hdeel Abdelhady of MassPoint Legal and Strategy Advisory PLLC.

• Need Litigation Finance? Don't Skip These 5 Steps

  

  The process of applying for litigation financing isn’t difficult, but few do it right the first time. Following five steps in your application process will help make sure litigation funders are convinced of the value of your company's legal claims, says Molly Pease of Curiam Capital LLC.

• Inventor's Case Highlights Appeal Option For Rejected Patent

  

  ​When a rejected patent​ application ​is appealed to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board​ unsuccessfully, ​the standard next step is Federal Circuit appeal. ​But an alternative route is to sue the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in district court. The recent decision in Gilbert Hyatt v. Iancu offers insight into this Section 145 process, say attorneys with Sterne Kessler Goldstein & Fox PLLC.​

• ​Are You Ready For Your Congressional Investigation?

  

  ​The Democratic Party is ​expected to take control of the House of Representatives next year,​ ​which​ will dramatically increase the congressional investigations risks for ​the ​private sector.​ Prime targets include pharmaceutical, financial services and technology ​companies, says Brian Smith of Covington & Burling LLP.

• Pros And Cons Of California’s New Corporate Blockchain Law

  

  A new California law will allow privately held companies to use blockchain technology for stock issuance and other corporate records. However, corporations should be cautious about moving into this relatively uncharted territory, say Sara O’Connell and Riaz Karamali of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP.