Part 5: Key Legal Questions to Consider when Starting and Growing a Tech Business

March 22nd, 2012
MMM Tech Perspectives

by John Yates

What are the Top 10 legal questions to consider in starting and growing a tech business? Outlined below are questions 5 & 6 in this series of questions a lawyer asks an entrepreneur to minimize liability and maximize profitability (view questions 1-4 here). These questions address legal issues faced by tech companies through the business life cycle. While these questions may not apply to all companies, they’re a helpful road map to address legal pitfalls in building a successful tech business.

Following the questions below, there are secondary questions designed to elicit important information from the

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Supreme Court Holds That Medical Diagnostic Method is Not Patentable Subject Matter

March 21st, 2012
Patents/IP

By: John R. Harris

On March 20, 2012 a unanimous Supreme Court held that a patent claim directed to a method of optimizing therapeutic efficiency for treatment of a disease involving (a) administering a certain drug, and (b) determining the level of the drug in a subject (e.g. by a test kit), is not patentable subject matter. Mayo Collaborative Services d/b/a Mayo Medical Laboratories, et. al. v. Prometheus Laboratories, Inc., No. 10-1150, ___ U.S. __ (S.Ct. March 20, 2012). Basically, the Supreme Court applied a long-standing principle that “laws of nature, natural phenomena, and abstract ideas” by

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Survey Suggests Healthcare Apps to Take Lead in Mobile Market

March 21st, 2012
Health IT

Deloitte’s new survey (below) suggests that the advent of 4G broadband services could put healthcare related mobile apps ahead of the current market leader,  consumer-facing apps and products. For more information on the survey, click here.

For best results, view survey in full screen mode by clicking the

  icon in the bottom right corner of the reader.

 

Open Mobile Survey 2012Read More


Angel Investments Up 40%

March 14th, 2012
Venture Capital

Silicon Valley Bank has released a report on angel investor funding in 2011. Highlights from the report include:

• U.S. Southeast in 2nd place for funding (20.1%) behind California (29.8%).
• Median angel round sizes grew by 40% to $700K
• Internet and healthcare sectors accounted for 58% of total investments, with   healthcare start-ups — particularly medical device and equipment companies — accounting for 37.4% of 2011 funding dollars.

For more information on the report, click here.

To view the report, click here.

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