August 2010
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Notes From the Council
As another council business year draws to a close, we are excited at the prospect of a new year beginning. The 2010-2011 year kicks off on September 22, 2010, with the 3rd Annual Information Technology Law Section seminar. Be sure to clear your calendars for this all-day event brought to you by the Section in collaboration with ICLE. More details on the event are provided below, as well as about the Section’s annual business meeting, which will be held during the seminar’s lunch break. We hope to see all of you there!
Please remember to visit the Section’s Facebook page and become a fan! The page is a useful place to find out information about Section news and events, items of related interest, and to let us know what you would like to see.
If you missed it in your electronic mailbox, the most recent edition of the Michigan IT Lawyer is also available at the IT Law Section’s website. All of the past issues are available there as well.
We welcome your comments on how to improve this e-Newsletter to better serve you and the rest of our membership. We also welcome contributions of anything that you think would be of interest to IT lawyers. If you would like to contribute, please contact Ron Nixon at ron.nixon@kkue.com.
Third Annual Information Technology Law Seminar
September 22, 2010, 9:00 a.m., The Inn at St. John’s, Plymouth
Be sure to attend the third installment of the Section’s successful annual seminar put on in conjunction with ICLE. This year the seminar will be a full-day event with a wide-range of topics that can help any lawyer in their practice:
- The Top Ten Licensing Mistakes to Avoid
- A Guide to Privacy Law
- Cloud Computing and its Key Legal Issues
- The Intersection of Insolvency, IT, and IP Laws
- Protecting Trade Secrets: Lessons Learned From the Litigation Front Lines
- Patentability of Computer-Related Inventions
To round out the day, a complimentary networking reception will follow the substantive program. Full details for the seminar can be found at ICLE’s web page, including a schedule of events and biographies of the talented presenters.
Please register now. If you cannot attend the live seminar, it is also available as a webcast. The fee for Section members is only $95, a substantial discount off the $175 fee for non-members and ICLE partners. If you know someone who would like to attend the seminar but who is not a member, please encourage them to join the Information Technology Law Section first. Section membership only costs $25 and they will still save a significant amount off the regular seminar fee.
Annual Meeting
September 22, 2010, 12:15–1:30 p.m., Inn at St. John’s, Plymouth
A second reason to attend the seminar is that the Section’s annual business meeting will be held during the lunch break. All Section members are welcome to attend. If you are interested in serving on the IT Law Section Council, please contact Jeremy Bisdorf at (248) 727-1387 or at jbisdorf@jaffelaw.com.
IT Law in the News
FTC Settles Claims of Anticompetive Conduct against Intel
The FTC announced in a press release on August 4, 2010, that it has settled its lawsuit against Intel. The lawsuit, commenced in December 2009, charged the PC chip manufacturer of various anticompetive conduct. The FTC asserts that the settlement will foster competition among various chip manufacturers by, among other things, prohibiting Intel from conditioning benefits to computer makers on agreements to buy exclusively from Intel suppliers or not to buy from others and retaliating against computer makers who do business with non-Intel suppliers.
An article in Computerworld suggests other technology providers that may be the FTC’s next target, including Apple and the tight control it has been exercising over access to its iPhone and iPad platforms.
FBI Seeks Clarification of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act
An article in the New York Times reports on the privacy concerns raised by the Justice Department’s efforts to get Congress to modify the Electronic Communications Privacy Act to provide clear authority for the FBI to use “national security letters” to obtain such personal data as e-mail addresses used and web pages visited from Internet service providers. The ECPA currently allows the FBI to use the letters to obtain specified categories of information relevant to national security investigations without requiring a court warrant.
Smartphones Have an IQ of Zero
For an amusing diversion, you might want to check out Infoworld’s retelling of 7 smartphone horror stories that demonstrate what we all should already know: smartphones, like any computer, are really only as smart as their users.