SEC Issues First Fine Over Client Privacy Breach April 12th, 2011MMM Tech Law Video Channel Privacy/Security The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued its first-ever fine for failing to properly protect customer data. The charges involve former president Fredrick O. Kraus and former national sales manager David C. Levine of GunnAllen Financial. The SEC press release said that both parties “violated customer privacy rules by improperly transferring customer records to another firm.” This is the first case in which people were charged soley with violating Regulation S-P, also known as the Safeguard Rule. More information can be found here. –Melanie S. Touchstone Read More
Start-ups: Tips for Refining Your Business Model April 11th, 2011Entrepreneurial Info Highlights: Start-up guru Eric Ries explains how small tweaks can make a big difference when refining your business model. Read article. Read More
New GA Solar Farm Beats Expectations April 8th, 2011Clean Tech/Green Energy Highlights: The new 5-acre solar farm, built by MMM client United Renewable Energy, has has been producing about 95 percent capacity — about 10 percent more than officials anticipated. Read article. Read More
Valuation of Privately Held Companies April 8th, 2011Resources & Tools Valuation Highlights: Recent presentation covering the reasons for business valuation, levels and approaches to value, and appraisal discounts. Valuation of privately held companies Read More
5 Things to Avoid Saying During Negotiations April 7th, 2011Entrepreneurial Info Highlights: Practical pointers for entrepreneurs on what not to say when entering negotiations. Read article. Read More
USPTO Issues Final Rule for Prioritized Patent Examination April 5th, 2011Patents/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 Read More
Tips For a Successful Presentation April 5th, 2011Entrepreneurial Info Highlights: Nine quick presentation tips learned from a recent Steve Jobs event. Read article. Read More
How Valuable is Your Trademark? March 31st, 2011Patents/IP HOW VALUABLE IS YOUR TRADEMARK? List of 500 Most Valuable Worldwide Brands Released Top Spot Held by Google This Year Every year, BrandFinance releases a list of the 500 most valuable brands in the world. The top brand for 2011 is Google, followed by Microsoft. Walmart fell to the no. 3 spot from its no. 1 position in 2010. Coca-Cola fell 13 places to no. 16, the first time that it has not been in the top ten for quite some time. The world’s top ten most valuable brands are: Read More
How to Test an Entrepreneurial Idea March 30th, 2011Entrepreneurial Info Highlights: Nine ways to test an entrepreneurial idea. Read article. Read More
M&A Update: Navigating Through the Cloud March 29th, 2011Data Centers, M & A Cloud Computing Highlights: Recap of the March 2011 “Navigating Through the Cloud” technology conference. Read it here. Read More