House Passes Crowdfunding Bill

November 4th, 2011
Resources & Tools

This week, the House of Representatives passed several measures designed to aid small companies in raising capital. These measures include the Entrepreneur Access to Capital Act, which would create an SEC exemption for crowdfunding.  Under the proposed law, small companies could offer equity stakes in exchange for investments up to 1 million a year, indexed for inflation, or $2 million if the company provides certain financial information.

Additionally, the House has passed the Access to Capital for Job Creators Act, which would allow start-ups to solicit capital from accredited investors.

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Call to Action: Restrictive Covenants in Various Corporate Documents

Georgia House Bill 30, which would implement the new Georgia Restrictive Covenants Act (the “Act”), was passed by the Georgia House on February 22, 2011, and is expected to go to the Senate for a vote at some point in the near future.  If the Bill passes the Senate as expected, it will go into effect immediately when the Governor signs it, but will not retroactively apply to any contract signed before it takes effect.

Companies with employees in Georgia should consider the following:

  • Review your existing corporate and employment agreements

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USPTO Issues Final Rule for Prioritized Patent Examination

April 5th, 2011
Patents/IP, Resources & Tools

USPTO ISSUES FINAL RULE FOR PRIORITIZED PATENT EXAMINATION

 

For a Special Fee, Get a Patent in 12 Months!

 

New Procedure is called “Track One” of a Proposed Three-Track Improvement Initiative

 

On April 4, 2011, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a final rule to implement “Track One” prioritized examination of a patent application upon an applicant’s request and payment of a $4,000 request fee and other filing fees.  Using this procedure, patent applicants should be able to obtain a “final disposition” of their patent application within twelve (12) months of receipt of priority status.   Other aspects of the USPTO improvements initiative

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New Georgia Restrictive Covenants Bill Passed by House

New Georgia Restrictive Covenants Bill Passed by House
House Bill 30, designed to substantially reenact the substantive provisions of the new Georgia Restrictive Covenants Act passed in 2009, was passed by the Georgia House of Representatives in a 104-58 vote on Tuesday, February 22, 2011.  The bill now moves to the Georgia Senate for consideration.

As discussed in earlier alerts, the new Georgia Restrictive Covenants Act (the “Act”), which dramatically changes the enforceability of restrictive covenants in employment agreements, was intended to take effect on November 3, 2010, immediately following Georgia voters’ ratification of a

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Venture Capital Investment for Technology and Ecommerce Companies

Venture Capital Investment Guide

This information is presented for educational purposes and is not intended to constitute legal advice. Opinions expressed are those of the author and not of Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP; see disclaimer at http://www.www.mmmtechlaw.com/privacy-policy-and-disclaimer/. Contact Scott Allen for more information at sallen@mmmlaw.com

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