Nature of Patents and Patent Rights -
When a patent is issued under the seal of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, it is signed by the Director of the USPTO or an Office official. The patent contains a grant...more
10/28/2021
/ Amazon ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Collection ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Facebook ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Medical Devices ,
Nanotechnology ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patents ,
Retailers ,
Starbucks ,
USPTO
The Story of Henrietta Lacks and the Biotechnology Company Accused of Selling Her Cells for Profit -
These two articles (Newsweek and Fierce Biotech) describe the new lawsuit by the Henrietta Lacks Estate surrounding the...more
10/13/2021
/ Biotechnology ,
Blockchain ,
Coinbase ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Liability Insurance ,
Patent-Eligible Subject Matter ,
Patents ,
Ransomware
Biotechnology Can Fight Climate Change—but Trade Negotiators Need to Act -
"Emerging biotechnology, such as gene-editing, can safely and effectively change our planet's future for the better."
Why this is important:...more
9/30/2021
/ Agricultural Sector ,
Amazon ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Biotechnology ,
Bitcoin ,
Climate Change ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Life Sciences ,
Novartis ,
Ransomware ,
Stablecoins ,
Surveillance
El Salvador Buys 200 Bitcoins as the Digital Currency Becomes Legal Tender -
"El Salvador became the first country to adopt bitcoin as a national currency, kicking off a radical monetary experiment that could pose risks to...more
9/15/2021
/ Apple ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Climate Change ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
CRISPR ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) ,
El Salvador ,
Ethereum ,
Facial Recognition Technology ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
GAO ,
Government Agencies ,
Kim Kardashian ,
Medical Devices ,
Popular ,
Privacy Concerns ,
Smart Contracts
China Passes Major Data Protection Law as Regulatory Scrutiny on Tech Sector Intensifies -
A final version of the law has not been published but a previous draft included rules around requiring consent for data protection...more
9/2/2021
/ Apple ,
Biometric Information ,
Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
China ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Collection ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) ,
Fitbit ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
International Data Transfers ,
Medical Devices ,
TikTok
The T-Mobile Data Breach is One You Can’t Ignore -
"Hackers claim to have obtained the data of 100 million people—including sensitive personal information."
Why this is important: Earlier this week, reports began...more
8/18/2021
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Biden Administration ,
Biometric Information ,
Biometric Information Privacy Act ,
Bitcoin ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Hackers ,
Insurance Industry ,
Robocalling ,
Trademarks
Court Redirects Most Ring LLC Privacy Litigation Plaintiffs to Arbitration
"In the complaint, the plaintiffs alleged that Ring’s security systems were defectively designed without sufficient security protocols, leaving...more
7/8/2021
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Biotechnology ,
CRISPR ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Nanotechnology ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Ransomware ,
Research and Development ,
Standing ,
Technology Sector ,
TransUnion LLC v Ramirez
Humana Sued Over Wrongful Records Access Data Breach -
"Louisville, Ky.-based Humana is being sued over a data breach last fall that exposed the personal information of about 65,000 of its health plan members, according...more
US Senator Urges Treasury Secretary Yellen to Take Action on Cryptocurrency Scams to Protect Investors
“'This is an unregulated industry, and the alarming amount of criminal activity surrounding cryptocurrency demands...more
6/10/2021
/ Automation Systems ,
Blockchain ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Innovative Technology ,
Life Sciences ,
Semiconductors ,
State Data Breach Notification Statutes ,
Tesla ,
Vaccinations
PA Health Dept Sued; Investigation Looms, After Contact Tracing Breach
"The PA health dept. is being sued, after employees of its vendor Insight Global set up an unsecured channel to share COVID-19 contact tracing data,...more
5/27/2021
/ China ,
Contact Tracing ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
CRISPR ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Protection ,
Driverless Cars ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Medical Devices ,
Popular ,
Ransomware ,
Technology Sector
Data Breach at New England’s Largest Energy Provider -
"A misconfiguration error has exposed personal data belonging to customers of New England's largest energy provider."
Why this is important: New England's largest...more
5/4/2021
/ Biotechnology ,
Blockchain ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Internet of Things ,
Vaccinations
Binance Probed by CFTC Over Whether U.S. Residents Traded -
"Binance, which has an office in Singapore but says it lacks a single corporate headquarters, hasn’t been accused of misconduct and the investigation may not lead...more
4/1/2021
/ 3D Printing ,
Blockchain ,
CFTC ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Collection ,
FinTech ,
Popular ,
Technology Sector ,
Trade Secrets
Jones Day Hit by Data Breach as Vendor Accellion Hack Widens -
"Jones Day is the second major law firm in two weeks to have private data exposed as a result of a breach at Accellion, which provides file transfer and other...more
Texas Governor Abbott Working on Legislation to Prevent Social Media Platforms from 'Canceling Conservative Speech' -
"Section 230, a provision in the Communications Decency Act, currently protects social media companies...more
Court Rejects Parler’s Demand that Amazon Host Its Services -
"Parler claimed (1) antitrust violations, (2) breach of contract, and (3) tortious interference."
Why this is important: Parler has tested the old adage...more
New Tribunal Created for Unauthorized Streaming Services -
On December 21, 2020, Congress passed the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2020 and a law on penalties for certain digital transmission...more
1/20/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Biometric Information ,
Bitcoin ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Collection ,
Facial Recognition Technology ,
Governor Cuomo ,
Iran ,
Law Enforcement ,
Nanotechnology ,
Technology Sector ,
Trade Relations
This past year has seen many changes in the community banking industry. Some of these issues we expected and some had more of an impact than maybe we would have thought. As we reflect and look forward to 2016, we asked...more