Los Angeles Traffic Court story

Just a quick one - the following is a great story about handling a speeding ticket in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles traffic court does not come off well. Great photos, good story, etc.

Certified Pre-Owned and Leasing

I'm getting ready to replace my car. I've had it for 6 years and nearly 110K miles. The backseat is getting too small - something about how the special car seats for kids force their legs forward at an angle - yet another reason why Americans want larger cars.I've been told leasing is a lot better because of the tax benefits. I don't completely understand, but I want to work with that. It hasn't

Google Analytics, Dublin and Digiweb

I've noticed through Google Analytics, for some time now, that my sites get unusually heavy traffic from what appears to be one user in Dublin, Ireland. Nearly all visitors from Dublin are using Linux with the Mozilla browser with Digiweb as the network location. I see the same thing on each of my websites that I look at.So either there's a massive hive of people using one set of identical

Technology Start-Ups Rejoice! Value-Based Pricing is Here!

We interact with innovators of all types and across many different industries from agribusiness to high tech. It's engaging and inspiring work! We especially enjoy partnering with technology start-ups and mentoring them on their paths to success. After all, we're entrepreneurs, too.

The road less traveled can be rocky for technology start-ups, however. Major hurdles arise often because they avoid engaging attorneys up-front for fear of high and unpredictable legal fees.

This means that start-ups often come to us with thorny legal problems to solve. These problems often could have been avoided had they engaged us as Partners early on. Under the traditional billable-hour approach to legal fees, attempts to resolve those thorny problems can become significant financial burdens to start-ups. Not a pretty picture!

To make partnership with Technology Law Group more accessible for start-ups and to help our clients prevent problems from arising in the first place, we will begin offering fixed-fee Value-Based Pricing for key intellectual property and Internet legal services that are especially important for start-ups.

Please check out our Idaho Business Review announcement tomorrow, June 23rd, and contact us at 208.939.4472 or info@technologylawgroup.com. Let us know what you think!

New speeding ticket pages

We added some new speeding ticket information pages to the Redlich Law Firm website for other states today.First we added a page about Pennsylvania speeding tickets. My associate has been pushing me to add such content.We also added a page for Connecticut speeding tickets. We've heard that out-of-state tickets don't affect them - but I read the law and there's a clear statute that says they are

Obama Asks How Innovation Can Make America More Competitive

Presidential candidate Barack Obama has posted this question on LinkedIn:

"What ideas do you have to keep America competitive in the years ahead?"

He mentions innovation frequently in his Renewing American Competitiveness address at Kettering. See the video and text here.

Innovation and fostering innovation are huge topics. Whatever your politics, add your voice and detailed ideas to the discussion. Click here.

To discuss how we can support your success as an innovation leader, please contact us at 208.939.4472 or info@technologylawgroup.com.

Idaho's Tech Economy Stats

Idaho is an energizing place to live and work. If you love beautiful country like the Sawtooth Mountains shown here, an active lifestyle, great people, and fascinating technology, this is the place for you!

A number of recent publications and reports have highlighted our innovation economy. Below is a start at compiling statistics contained in these reports. As the numbers show, Idaho presents opportunities for innovators and for those who work to promote innovation-focused economic development in the state.

These figures are useful for gauging the economic opportunities for innovation companies here; for business planning; and for advocating for government initiatives to facilitate and support our technology community. Please comment on this blog post with additional statistics (please include sources and dates). The compilation of these numbers will be helpful to many.

From the Office of Science & Technology, Idaho Department of Commerce, Idaho ranks:

#1 in Patents Per Capita
#1 in Manufacturing Investment
#3 in Energy Costs
#5 in Long-Term Employment Growth
#5 in Net Migration of Residents
#5 in Renewable Energy Potential
#6 in “Entrepreneurial Energy” (2007 Corporation For Enterprise Development; for more details of the CFED report, please click here.)
#6 in New Company Creation
#8 in Resident Home Ownership
#10 in Households With Computers

From the American Electronics Association's 2008 Cyberstates Report, Idaho ranks:

#6 in semiconductor manufacturing employment (12,100 jobs)
#9 in computer & peripheral equipment manufacturing employment (3700 jobs)
#10 in concentration of technology workers (68 people per 1000 work in the technology industry, compared with Virginia, the state with the highest concentration, at 91 per 1000)
#28 in average high technology wages ($67,200/year, and 107% of average private sector wages)
#32 in high technology payroll ($2.4 billion)
#35 in high technology employment (36,400 people out of 5.9 million nationwide)
#35 in venture capital investment ($16.2 million out of $16.9 billion nationwide)
#35 in spending on research & development ($1 billion)
#39 in number of high technology companies (1800)*

Static numbers, however, don't tell the whole story. Note the changes in the AEA statistics from 2006 to 2007:

Big boost in venture capital investment - Up 977% from a mere $1.5 million**
Flat high technology employment overall - 200 new jobs added.
Semiconductor manufacturing employment - 900 new jobs added.

[NOTES : The American Electronics Association is the nation's largest high technology trade association. *A recent study by the Idaho Department of Commerce, Idaho TechConnect, and Virginia Tech's Dr. Heike Mayer puts the number of innovation companies in Idaho at 3849 with the greatest concentration (1335) in the Boise area. **Mark Solon, a managing partner with Highway 12 Ventures in Boise, told the Idaho Statesman that the bulk of the 2007 venture investments were limited to only a few companies and that this initial growth in investment should not yet be considered a trend.]

For more on how we support innovators in all industries from agribusiness to software, please contact us at 208.939.4472 or info@technologylawgroup.com.

The Testiliar and Barney Fife

As our firm progresses I've been spending less time in court. Our associates have been doing most of the traffic court appearances, while I spend more time managing the firm. But once in a while I still get out there. I'm still the main lawyer for hearings and trials.The other day I had two hearings (yes, in one day). Thus I was presented with a stark contrast between two kinds of police officer.

Traffic Court Hits 75K

Our traffic court website reached a new level the other day, with over 75,000 visits and over 65,000 unique visitors in 31 days. There were nearly 170,000 pageviews as well.We've been adding courts in a few states. Our California traffic courts page now covers 23 counties, and the Los Angeles traffic courts page has become one of the busiest pages on the site. I'm not sure why, but the Alhambra

Judicial salaries

I saw this comment on the Times Union Capitol Confidential blog: "Students graduating from law school this year (who have not even passed the bar exam) are making more then these judges who have worked hard through out their career to be voted or appointed to these positions."Yes, a few law graduates get jobs at $160K/year. It's also true that once or twice a year a high school kid goes to the

Loza Earns Certified Licensing Professional Designation

I am pleased to announce that I have been awarded the designation of Certified Licensing Professional.

The United States & Canada Society of Licensing Executives Society International, the world’s largest association of intellectual property licensing professionals, awards this important credential. To my understanding, the CLP designation is the world's only professional credential for intellectual property licensing professionals.

The standards for achieving the Certified Licensing Professional credential are educational and experiential, requiring demonstrated leadership, proficiency, and skill in these eight domains:

1. Intellectual property (IP) strategy;
2. IP protection;
3. IP valuation;
4. Assessment and development of opportunities to commercialize and monetize intellectual property;
5. Marketing IP;
6. Licensing negotiations;
7. Development and drafting of licensing agreements; and
8. Post-execution management and enforcement of licensing agreements, including agreements impacting licensing, e.g., manufacturing and design contracts.

It is an honor to receive this important recognition. My work over the years for Hewlett-Packard Company, Nikon, a Jet Propulsion Laboratory spin-off, a genetic research and testing firm, and other companies has enabled me to attain this leading-edge professional achievement.

Technology Law Group, PLLC is an intellectual property, international, and Internet law and technology legislative practice based in Boise, Idaho. TLG’s practice has a global and strategic business-driven focus. TLG serves a wide range of representative clients from the world’s largest technology company and other Fortune 1000 companies to leading academic institutions to innovation entrepreneurs, and general business and litigation law firms.

For more information about how we can assist with intellectual property licensing and other transactions, please contact us at info@technologylawgroup.com or 208.939.4472.

Prosecutors: Some Things Never Change

I've blogged a lot in the past about prosecutors in the Albany area. I had a new experience about a half-hour ago that I feel compelled to relate.In one local county the District Attorney's office has undergone a lot of changes in the past year or so. I had substantial problems with that office in the past. With the recent changes I had hoped that things would be better. Today tells me I might be

China's New Anti-monopoly Law Goes Into Effect August 1, 2008

The American Bar Association's international law conference in New York this spring highlighted the new Anti-Monopoly Law of the People's Republic of China. See Order of the Chairman No. 68.

Promulgated on August 30 of last year, the new law is set to go into effect on August 1, 2008. The law governs monopolistic activity occurring within China and that occuring outside of China, but affecting the Chinese domestic market.

In addition to addressing monopolistic activity, the law addresses concerns by the Chinese authorities about increasing foreign control and influence of and upon companies there.

We can make available an English translation of the new law and and other related ABA Conference materials. In particular, you may want to examine an excellent slide deck presentation by Zhu Zhongliang, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce's Deputy Division Chief of the Anti-monopoly Investigation Office. The Ministry's English language Web site is at http://english.mofcom.gov.cn/.

For more information, please contact us at info@technologylawgroup.com or 208.939.4472.

Social Networking, User-Generated Content & Risk Management

Web 2.0 and social networking are powerful and exciting advances in marketing strategy and implementation. Facebook, MySpace, and others demonstrate just how effective and lucrative new media marketing can be.

In part, new media marketing success depends upon effective community-building and that, in turn, depends upon content generated by members of the target community.

GoSleepGo.com is a new, fun, and edgy example. It's a user-built online travel guide in which far-flung 20-somethings (generally) go around the world and log on to post their travel photos and comments. Here's a user adventured posted about North Korea's Propaganda Village. BACKGROUND: GoSleepGo won first prize in the 2007 University of Idaho VIEW Business Plan competition put on by the College of Business & Economics.

Online contracts governing users' conduct and interaction with the marketer's Web site (consumer agreement titled "terms of use," "acceptable use policy," etc.) are fundamental instruments in limiting legal risk. Along with other online contracts that govern user conduct on their sites, Facebook and MySpace's general terms of use provide good examples of these risk management instruments.

That said, a online marketer may be well-advised to operate under an affirmative duty to monitor user content posted by members of its target community or to respond promptly to complaints sent to customer service email addresses.

In a recent example of the former, a Web marketer designated an individual as a discussion moderator. In the course of one of these discussions, the moderator then allegedly libeled one of the parties to the discussion. Under an agency theory, the marketer (principal) could be held responsible for the libelous conduct of its moderator (agent).

One recent example of the duty to respond to emailed complaints, a MySpace participant posted an invitation on his profile to view sexual content featuring minors and also posted links directing viewers to those postings on XTube, a pornographic site. In that instance, MySpace responded and terminated the poster's participation in its community. XTube, however, was non-responsive to complaints until the federal criminal authorities were involved.

Online marketers may face other legal risks as a result of user-generated content, including, among others:

1. Infringement of trademarks or copyrights;
2. Privacy violations;
3. Invasion of publicity rights; and
4. Consumer protection violations, including posting of false or misleading advertisements.

In addition to excellent consumer agreements, a number of other best practices can go far to limit risk associated with user-generated content. For more information, please contact us at info@technologylawgroup.com or 208.939.4472.

Film Festival for Albany Indie Team

My buddies the Masuccis have a short film that is playing in some festivals. I'm one of two Executive Producers of the film. You can see it at the box[ur]shorts Film Festival website.Short description: In the twilight of his life, Ned reflects on his past, his remaining years, and discovers how his role in life has changed. Against the Wind is a sentimental film that shows the old truly are young

Albany Ron Paul Meetup

As one sees with any movement, there can be different factions. In the Albany Ron Paul movement, there are two different "Meetup" groups. One is run by a guy who seems a bit off. Well, okay, to a lot of people outside the movement, we all look crazy. But this guy looks crazy to most of us inside.For those who want to find the "sane" side of the movement, check out the sensible Albany Ron Paul