Welcome back to another week of the Top 10 in Law Blogs. This edition features another fascinating mix of topics, including Katherine Goodloe’s roundup of new legislation regarding the Internet of Things; a post on intellectual property law and the Royal wedding by Joanna Conway; a write-up of a newly introduced bill that could combat wildlife tracking from Julia Malleck; and Lindsay Griffiths on the value of “authenticity.” As always, we’ll see you again next week!
On the Fringe of California Cannabis Investing: Avoiding “Ownership” and “Financial Interests” – By Hilary Bricken: Passage of California’s Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (“MAUCRSA“) has opened the doors to institutional investing in California cannabis companies. California’s lack of a residency requirement for investors and its relatively limited investor disclosure and background requirements have made it popular for institutional investors looking to invest in cannabis. View Full Post
Wall Street Poised to Embrace Cryptocurrency – By Sharon Nelson: As a follow up to yesterday’s post, it was interesting to read an article in The New York Times. The article reported the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange has been working on an online trading platform that would allow large investors to buy and hold Bitcoin. View Full Post
Covington IoT Update: U.S. Legislative Roundup on IoT – By Katharine Goodloe: As policymakers weigh the many policy implications associated with the Internet of Things (“IoT”), U.S. lawmakers have put forward a variety of proposals for studying—and regulating—IoT devices. Although the likelihood of current proposals becoming law this term remain uncertain at best, existing legislative proposals provide important context and insight into the ways that lawmakers view IoT and the government’s role in fostering and regulating the technology. View Full Post
The Royal wedding: a prince, a Hollywood star … and IP law – By Joanna Conway: With the Royal wedding of Prince Harry and Hollywood star Meghan Markle fast approaching, companies may be looking at leveraging the glamour of this event in their advertising and products and capitalising on the ‘Royal effect’. Off with their heads? The UK Royal family take protection of their intellectual property rights seriously. View Full Post
Garden State Cultivates Industrial Hemp Growth – By Jordan A. Fisch and Samantha B. Epstein: As the State of New Jersey continues to evaluate the expansion of current legislation related to medicinal use cannabis and the legalization of recreational cannabis, proposed legislation advancing in the New Jersey legislature has set its sights on marijuana’s less psychotropic relative – industrial hemp. View Full Post
Landmark Bill Combatting Wildlife Trafficking Introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives – By Julia Malleck: Today, Rep. Madeleine Bordallo (D-GU) and Rep. Don Young (R-AK) introduced the Wildlife Conservation and Anti-Trafficking Act of 2018. This groundbreaking legislation enhances the ability of informants worldwide to detect and report wildlife crimes. Rep. Bordallo, in her floor speech introducing the legislation, said: “this bipartisan bill confronts the global black-market trade in illegal wildlife and seafood products driving iconic wildlife to extinction and responsible for countless human rights abuses.” Watch Rep. Bordallo’s speech on the House floor. View Full Post
“Authenticity” Might be Cliche, but it’s Essential to Building Client Relationships – By Lindsay Griffiths: “Authenticity” has become a dirty word. It’s right up there with some of the other most hated buzzwords and phrases – “at the end of the day,” “thinking outside of the box,” “synergy,” “value add,” “circle back,” “bandwidth.” Are you cringing yet? View Full Post
Microsoft: Its Not Just About Windows Anymore – By Stephen Embry: Microsoft Build 2018, Microsoft’s developer conference, kicked off today in Seattle with a keynote from its CEO, Satya Nadella. Perhaps the most amazing thing about Nadella’s keynote was that he didn’t mention Microsoft Windows, Office or Outlook until he was over an hour into the almost 2 hour speech. View Full Post
Le Joli M.ai – By Guest Blogger Colin Lachance: At no fewer than four conferences this lovely month of May, I will be speaking about artificial intelligence in law. Each event has a different focus (regulation, impact, libraries, family law), but as my comments in each will spring from my personal framework for considering issues, opportunities and implications, I thought it might help me to advance that framework for your feedback.View Full Post