Articles

On September 21, 2013, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law the California Revised Uniform Limited Liability Company Act (commonly known as the RULLCA), codified at Cal. Corp. Code §§ 17701.01-17713.13. The law is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2014. The RULLCA will entirely replace the Beverly-Killea Limited Liability Company Act (referred to…

It is important for owners and operators of commercial real estate to stay current with applicable laws and ordinances, including the Nonresidential Building Energy Use Disclosure Program (the “Disclosure Program”). The Disclosure Program – better known as Assembly Bill 1103 or AB 1103 – requires owners, brokers, and property managers of commercial real estate, i.e.,…

Several months ago, we featured two articles about California’s ride-sharing startups. Ride-sharing companies, such as uberX, Lyft, and FlightCar, are in the business of providing vehicles-for-hire. Using apps and other online programs, the companies connect those in need of rides with non-professional drivers driving their own cars. Beginning in late 2010, the California Public Utilities…

The issue of patent assertion entities, or patent trolls, continues to be a hot one in the startup community. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals defines a patent assertion entity as “a small company [that] enforces patent rights against accused infringers in an attempt to collect licensing fees, but does not manufacture products or supply…

Last month, we discussed why collaboration and sharing physical office space is particularly important to startups. See “The Essentials for Startups: High Speed Internet and a Collaborative Environment,” September 10, 2013. In that article, we noted that while many businesses have been started and run successfully from anywhere in the world, startups are more likely…

Last week, we discussed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and what startups should know about it. We noted that shortly after the Sarbanes-Oxley Act was enacted, critics argued that it restricted innovation and suffocated the growth of startups and small companies because the cost of compliance was too great for them. In response to these concerns, the…

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (the “Act”) was enacted on July 30, 2002, in response to several significant corporate and accounting scandals, including Enron. The Act set new or enhanced standards for all U.S. public company boards, management, and accounting firms. Its “long title” is “[a]n Act to protect the accuracy and reliability of…

Last November, Google began providing one-gigabit-per-second fiber optic internet service to homes in Kansas City, Kansas. These residents will be the first people in the world to test out Google’s new service. When Google first announced its nationwide Google Fiber project three years ago, over 1,000 cities and towns across the country applied for the…

This week, New Zealand voted to ban software patents, and the impetus for New Zealand’s decision seems to be the practice of patent trolling; the Chief Executive of New Zealand’s Institute of IT Professionals commented that the country would no longer tolerate “the vexatious practice of ‘;patent trolls.’” Why does this decision matter to California…

Starting tomorrow, August 29, 2013, <Engine, a non-profit connecting startups and government (according to its website, “the voice of startups in government”), is kicking off Startup Across America Day. Forty-four members of Congress will meet with technology startups in their home states and districts in order to discuss policy issues that impact their businesses. Events…