Local Members Join Speaker Mike Hintze of Microsoft for ITechLaw Seattle Breakfast Roundtable
 ITechLaw welcomed nearly 25 attendees to its March 4 Seattle Breakfast Roundtable: Cloud Computing and Privacy, a networking and education session featuring speaker Mike Hintze of Microsoft. Moderated by Rajiv Patel, ITechLaw Board of Directors, and local member Susan Lyon of Perkins Coie, LLP, the session was an interactive and in-depth look on cloud computing, covering a number of important privacy issues relating to the control and access to data stored in the cloud.
Mr. Hintze's presentation offered insight on how cloud service providers use data; law enforcement access to data held by cloud services; global implications and jurisdictional conflicts; and business models and approaches that enhance user choice and control.
Watch for future ITechLaw local networking and educational events offering CLE credit in your area. Please contact ITechLaw Member Services with suggestions for session topics or speakers.
Call for ITechLaw Board of Director Nominations - Nominations Due March 26, 2010
The International Technology Law Association is soliciting nominations for election to the International Technology Law Association Board of Directors. Please include in your nomination a short paragraph explaining why you believe the nominee should be elected to the Board at the annual meeting in Boston. Any attachments should be in PDF format.
Members of the Board of Directors are responsible for the discharge of a number of important obligations. Those obligations are detailed in the International Technology Law Association Board of Directors Responsibilities document. It is a condition of nomination that each nominee agree to adhere to those duties and responsibilities.
This year's Nominating Committee is comprised of Nominating Committee Chair Diana McKenzie, of Hunter MacLean, Amy-Lynne Williams of Deeth Williams Wall and Kiran Sandford of Mishcon de Reya. All nominations must be submitted by email to the Nominating Committee prior to March 26, 2010.
Global Industry Briefs
In addition to ITechLaw's quarterly online law journal for members, the eBulletin (requires log in), ITechLaw often provides 1-2 short articles in eNews each month. eNews articles not only cover short legal updates but also give members an opportunity to share their unique professional experiences as they relate to ITechLaw.
ITechLaw encourages members to contribute to its publications. For more information or to submit your articles, please contact us. Submissions are subject to editorial discretion. Articles not used in eNews may be used in the eBulletin and vice versa.
 Privacy - Ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany
Stephan Schmidt, teclegal Rhein-Main Rechtsanwälte, Mainz, Germany
The Federal Constitutional Court of Germany decided on March 2, 2010 that the collection and retention of traffic data, as provided in Sections 113a and 113b of the German Telecommunications Act as well as in Section 100g Para. 1 (1) of the German Code of Criminal Procedure, is unconstitutional and declared that these provisions are void. The Court held that these regulations are not compatible with Article 10 Para. 1 of the German Constitution, which guarantees privacy of telecommunication. Hence, the data retention which is currently practiced in Germany is illegal and all data collected based on these regulations have to be deleted by the concerned telecom companies and must not be transferred to requesting authorities. However, data retention can be legal provided that certain requirements are met. It is now up to the legislator to implement new regulations to comply with both EU legislation as well as the requirements set forth by the Court.
Getting the Most Out of
ITechLaw Networking Opportunities
As you might know,
ITechLaw's mission is to "create unparalleled opportunities for
international networking and exchanging knowledge and experience
with experts and colleagues around the world." To help you get
the most out of networking opportunities, Larry Bodine, a prominent business development
advisor, provides the eNews with topics of interest to ITechLaw
members. This month, Larry's column shows you how to make the
most out of your professional bios. Enjoy.
 Turning Your Bio into a
Magnet for Business
By Larry
Bodine, Esq.*
Apollo
Business Development
Smart lawyers turn their bios into a
marketing magnet that generates leads, as opposed to a mere
resume or a CV, which recites only your education and experience.
The trick is to turn a feature of yourself into a benefit to the
client. In other words, if you've done a particular activity, you
need to answer the question, "So what?" If a client knows you've
done something, how does that benefit them?
A "feature" is what something has, like a car with four doors or
a new improved formula. A "benefit" is what it does for clients:
"This car has four doors to accommodate growing families."
Here's how to tell the difference: When you hear a product claim,
ask the question, "So what does that do for me?" If there is no
answer to that question, you just heard a feature. If there is an
answer, you just heard a benefit.
For more, download the full article in pdf format here.
As a member of ITechLaw, you have
the opportunity to build benefits into your profile on the
association's social network, ITechLaw Connect. By signing into the Member
Center and then clicking on the ITechLaw Connect link in the sub-menu on the
right, you will be taken to your personal network portal. If you
have not done so already, you can use the tips in this article to
customize your profile in a way that maximizes the benefits you
bring as a law professional. You can also select specific
keywords to help build your professional brand and become known
for certain areas of law and practice:
As a member of ITechLaw, you have the opportunity to build benefits into your profile on the association's social network, ITechLaw Connect. By signing into the Member Center and then clicking on the ITechLaw Connect link in the sub-menu on the right, you will be taken to your personal network portal. If you have not done so already, you can use the tips in this article to customize your profile in a way that maximizes the benefits you bring as a law professional. You can also select specific keywords to help build your professional brand and become known for certain areas of law and practice.
ITechLaw Member Spotlight
ITechLaw Board Member, Susan Barty, reports that CMS Cameron McKenna was a winner of the TMT (Technology, Media and Telecoms) team of the year, for its global appointment to the BT legal panel and for the tremendous strength and depth of its TMT offering, both in the UK and internationally. CMS is a long term member of ITechLaw, a regular sponsor and contributor to conferences.
ITechLaw President, Dr. Ursula Widmer, represented ITechLaw at the CeBit Global Conference, which is Europe's foremost tradeshow for the digital industry, in Hannover, Germany on March 2 and 3, 2010. She spoke on "Risk Management in Social Networks."
As of January 1, 2010, Richard Allan Horning joined Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP's Venture Technology Group in the firm's Palo Alto office, in the heart of Silicon Valley. Richard Allan Horning, who served as ITechLaw Association's president from 2006 - 2007, can now be reached at rhorning@sonnenschein.com or +1-650-798-0300.
Click here to submit your member news today!
ITechLaw Welcomes Its Newest Members!
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Name |
Organization |
City, State |
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Sabine Grapentin
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Noerr LLP
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Frankfurt, Germany
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Himanshu Khare
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WNS Global Services Pvt Ltd
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Mumbai, India |
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Ida Palombella
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Milan, Italy |
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Peter Sawaqed
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Denton Wilde Sapte |
Abu Dhabi, UAE
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President's Column,
by Ursula Widmer |
Dear ITechLaw
Members and Colleagues,
I am very pleased to be able to inform you that ITechLaw's Committees are getting more and more active, offering a large variety of benefits to you.
Our Website Committee, co-chaired by Charles Morgan, Rajiv Patel and Michael Peeters, is working on a new website project to be launched April 1, 2010, which is to organize all of ITechLaw's content and make it easier for members to search. Part of the content will also be accessible by the public, giving you, if you have submitted articles to the eNews or eBulletin, or if you have contributed a paper and presentation to a conference, the full visibility which is offered by the Internet.
It is wonderful to see that another of my presidential goals is being realized, which is to build up a very active In-House Counsel Committee. This committee is currently led by Clive Davies, UK; Karlyn Stanley, India; Ulrike Weinbrenner, Switzerland; and Eugene Weitz, USA. They are offering you a webinar on May 6, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. EST on "Revenue Recognition Fundamentals for Contract Optimization."
ITechLaw's European Local Representatives will be meeting in Milan on March 20, in order to discuss projects of common interest (e-invoicing) and national initiatives in building membership.
ITechLaw recently held a Breakfast Roundtable in Seattle on March 4, attended by both ITechLaw members and invited guests. Mike Hintze, Associate General Counsel for Microsoft, gave an outstanding presentation on Cloud Computing and Privacy. For further information, see the related article in this eNews.
If you are interested in becoming active in one of our Committees, please get into contact with the respective Committee Chair or Co-Chair, who you will find on our website. If you are interested in becoming more active locally, such as organizing a local event with your colleagues and invite some guests, please do let me know and I would be more than happy to help with your ideas.
With my best regards,
Ursula Widmer
ITechLaw President
president@itechlaw.org
Ursula.widmer@widmerpartners-lawyers.ch
ITechLaw's 2010 World Technology Law Conference & Annual Meeting
May 20-21, 2010
Boston, MA
Conference Program and Speakers Now Available
Join your colleagues, clients, business partners, and friends for a high-level professional exchange of knowledge, critical tech law updates and multiple networking opportunities. For in-depth program, venue and registration information, please visit the conference website.
Early bird registration ends April 12, 2010. Register Today!
Save the Date
ITechLaw 2010 European Conference
October 28 - 29, 2010
Berlin, Germany
Watch your email for more details coming soon.
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