Technology

• The Power of the Cloud! The buzzword Cloud Computing seems to be everywhere these days. But while there's certainly a great deal of hype about "the cloud," it truly is a computing phenomenon that is rapidly and dramatically changing the manner in which many businesses perform essential functions, access vast amounts of data and utilize information technology (IT) resources.
• Creating Traps for the Unwary: Recent Technology Law Developments Legal developments over the past year continue to confirm that many of the early technology-law legalbattles -- such as the validity of electronic contract formation -- are pretty well settled, even if those issues periodically arise in isolated cases. While there are many developments in this area at the federal level and a good deal of overlap between state and federal laws affecting technology issues, this overview principally highlights selected state-law trends and developments from the past 12 months or so involving technology-law issues that businesses should take note of as either confirmation of basic principles or matters on the horizon that should be monitored for potential impact.
• Getting Strategic: Alliances That Click With increasing regularity, businesses of all types announce strategic alliances, joint ventures or partnerships with other companies. Often, the particular alliance or partnership is touted as a vehicle that will produce significant benefits for both companies.
• Creating Traps for the Unwary Legal developments over the past year continue to confirm that many of the early technology-law legal battles -- such as the validity of electronic contract formation -- are pretty well settled, even if those issues periodically arise in isolated cases.
• E-Discovery: The Federal Rules in the Digital Age On December 1, 2006, new amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure governing the conduct of litigation in the United States federal courts took effect -- the culmination of more than five years of drafting, discussion and public comment.
• European Data Privacy: Beware of the Pitfalls Until fairly recently, concern over data privacy has been a relatively low-profile issue among businesses that have come to rely increasingly on new forms of electronic communications and methods of conducting business and storing data via electronic means.