Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are the hot craze. While the initial coin offering ("ICO") craze of 2017-2018 fizzled out in the face of government enforcement actions, a resurgence in the global market for bitcoin and the new category of NFTs is fueling a new boom in digital assets as mainstream interest increases. Recently, Christie's became the very first major auction house to offer a fully digital work.  Internet celebrity Logan Paul made over $5 million selling NFTs. Musician Post Malone invited fans to play beer pong with him if they bought an NFT.

Thomson Reuters recently hosted a two-day conference discussing risks and rewards for digital assets such as cryptocurrencies and NFTs.

Louis Lehot of Foley & Lardner discusses some common legal considerations when launching an NFT marketplace, including documentation you need, intellectual property and other legal considerations, as well as overarching legal implications of this new technology.

The tremendous disruptions caused by COVID-19 may introduce a new term to the business lexicon: business divorce.  Many small, privately-held and family-owned businesses may not have anticipated the kind of business and personal stressors being brought on by the pandemic.

Lee Weinberg of Weinberg Gonser LLP discusses how “business divorces” may surge because of the COVID-19 situation.

The Next Gen Leadership: Advancing Lawyers of Color white paper provides insights from attorneys on how legal employers can help create opportunities for lawyers of color across the industry.

The white paper involved interviews with 23 attorneys of color across generations, ethnicities, geographic locations, and segments of the industry.

During these discussions, attorneys of color shared their insights and experiences.

Gary Zhao is a partner in SmithAmundsen LLC’s commercial litigation group and was previously a co-chair of SmithAmundsen’s diversity committee. He serves as a member of the Executive Committee of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), is a past president of the Chinese American Bar Association and is the incoming President of the Asian American Bar Association of Greater Chicago.

Gary talks about his experience as an attorney of color, and shares best practices for legal employers drawn from his experience.

Companies in the U.S own an estimated $5 trillion in trade secerts

 and about $3 billion is lost due to theft every year

 The federal Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 went into effect in May

2016. While it’s still early to interpret how it will affect trade

 secret litigation, some things are clear, especially that federal court

 dockets will see an increase in more private trade secrets cases.

Chris Ryan, a partner in Baker Botts’ Intellectual Property Group, discusses.

Is Your Car Really a Transformer?

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors once described the Tesla Model S as a sophisticated computer on wheels.  These days, that description actually applies to most cars, which are equipped with an increasing array of sensors, relays and connective equipment that control, monitor and report numerous systems and data. 

Tesla recently patched its software after hackers announced that they had figured out a way to hack into Teslas.  And class-action suits have been filed against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Harman International,after hackers showed that a Jeep Cherokee could be hijacked remotely, three car owners have filed a lawsuit seeking the maker of the Uconnect onboard infotainment system.

Michael Whitener of VLP Law Group LLP talks about the many legal issues involved with today’s “connected cars” such as privacy and consent.

China intellectual property rights have undergone significant reform in recent years.  But is it enough?  What more needs to be done?

Elizabeth Chien-Hale is a U.S. patent attorney who has extensive experience in intellectual property issues in China. Chien-Hale is a contributing author on intellectual property for “Corporate Counsel’s Guide to Doing Business in China, 3d, 2012-2013 edition”, published by Thomson Reuters. She operates a website, www.institute-ip-asia.org, where readers can find up-to-date information and articles about IP issues relating to China and other countries.

A clip from Wait What's trip to AwesomeCon 2015. "We are what you'd call professionals.

The potential reopening of ties between the US and Cuba has people excited about the possibility of Cuban treasures reaching US shores, such as cigars, rum and….baseball players? 

Cuba has the birthplace of many major league stars over the years, and baseball fans – as well as basketball and football fans – are imagining which Cuban stars their favorite team might land.

But Glen Rothstein with Greenberg Glusker says don’t pencil those names into your lineup cards just yet.

“Deflategate” did more than just deflate the hopes of Patriots fans.  The NFL investigation raised some interesting questions about the rights of employees when it comes to ESI (electronically stored information) on their personal cellphones. 

John Martin, partner and practice leader of the Nelson Mullins Encompass e-discovery group, says both employers and employers should take note of how Tom Brady’s text messages were treated during the investigation.