#TechLaw2022 Series

Course Chair
Ryan J. Black — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver

About the Course Chair
Ryan Black is a partner practising technology-related business law, with a particular focus on ‎intellectual property, information technology, video games and esports, and ‎internet-facing businesses. As a former software and Internet developer, Ryan has a unique insight to emerging technology matters important to today's businesses, such as cybersecurity, blockchain technologies, artificial intelligence, open source software, deepfakes, cloud computing, and social media. Ryan is a frequent speaker and presenter on a wide variety of legal matters including Canada's Anti-Spam Law (CASL), video game law and policy matters, technology trends and regulations, and intellectual property issues, and is also the co-author of Internet Law Essentials: Canada's Anti-Spam Law, published by Specialty Technical Publishers. Ryan authored the 2017 update to that CASL book, focusing on CASL compliance.

Ryan is a member of the firm's National Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee. In 2017, Ryan was named as one of Canada's leading lawyers under 40 in Lexpert's annual Rising Stars edition, in 2019 he was named an Acritas Star for peer-recommended lawyers, and he has also been named a 2020-21 Best Lawyer in Canada for Information Technology Law, and a 2021 Best Lawyer in Canada for FinTech Practice and Privacy and Data Security Law. Ryan currently acts as Clinic Adjunct for the Centre for Business Law at the UBC Peter A. Allard School of Law, a director (and Chair, Governance) of the Canadian Internet Registration Authority, a director of the Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society, and a director of the Video Game Bar Association.

Faculty
Maneesha Dakha — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver
Tyson Gratton — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver
Morgan McDonald — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver
Sangeetha Punniyamoorthy — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Toronto
Michael E. Reid — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver
David Spratley — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver

Click here for full faculty bios

Day 1 – Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Life Cycle of a Startup—Founding to Financing to Exit (12:00 – 1:00)

Most of us didn't turn our passionate sourdough starter endeavours into a fledging business over the pandemic, but the "new normal" has presented entrepreneurs with an even clearer path to pursuing their startups. Lawyering for these clients means knowing where they're at in their business and where they are trying to go. In this session, we will discuss:

• distinguishing between a "startup" and a "small business"
• desirable share structure for startups on the venture growth path
• a high-level overview of the lifecycle of financings (Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series)
• juggling shares, options, SAFEs, and convertible notes
• how dilution works from a Venture Capital viewpoint (and why it may not always be bad)

Morgan McDonald — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver
Michael E. Reid — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver

Day 2 – Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Privacy and Cybersecurity—What Every Lawyer Needs to Know (12:00 – 1:00)

Join us to learn what every lawyer needs to know about privacy and cybersecurity. At this course, you will learn:

• who should care about privacy and cybersecurity?
• what is the current (and near-future) domestic and international privacy landscape?
• what are standard privacy and cybersecurity compliance concerns?
• what are the key privacy and cybersecurity concerns in the consumer context?
• what privacy and cybersecurity considerations are there in commercial agreements?

Tyson Gratton — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver
David Spratley — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver

Day 3 – Tuesday, October 25, 2022

Top 10 Emerging Tech Issues for Today's Business Lawyers (12:00 – 1:00)

As general commercial lawyers conversant in the tech space, Ryan and Morgan see a lot of common matters cross their desks. This "Top 10" list will run through the most frequent issues and some practical solutions for dealing with them, including:

• handling secret information
• navigating and negotiating indemnities, liabilities, and remedies
• dealing with licensing and permissions to use
• hiring and managing high-tech workforces

Ryan J. Black — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver
Morgan McDonald — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver

Day 4 – Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Influencers, Marketing, and Regulated Advertising (12:00 – 1:00)

It's never been easier for businesses to communicate with existing and potential customers worldwide, which is both an opportunity and a risk. Whether it's basic marketing, using influencers to gain credibility, or entering new (and sometimes highly regulated) markets, this worldwide reach can bring with it some fairly novel regulatory concerns. Topics to be covered will include:

• avoiding misleading advertising
• compliance programs regarding advertisements and promotions
• social media marketing
• working with influencers
• contests and promotions
• regulatory frameworks

Maneesha Dakha — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver
Sangeetha Punniyamoorthy — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Toronto
David Spratley — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver