Blame Your Lawyer – An Underappreciated Legal Service
In this post I will explain why, sometimes, it can be helpful to blame your lawyer for something that really is not the lawyer’s fault.
In my experience, this situation typically arises when a client is negotiating business terms with a counterparty. (more…)
Negotiating Software Licenses – What Really Counts
This post addresses the most important issues that are raised in negotiating software licenses.
I will assume that parties have agreed on pricing. (Otherwise, there is no point negotiating license terms!) In addition, I will ignore the lengthy legal “boilerplate” that appears in most software license agreements.
Four Critical Issues in Negotiating Software Licenses
In my experience, there are four issues that must be examined closely, and often result in much discussion, when negotiating software licenses. (more…)
Why Does the Other Party Want to Apply NY Law?
This post is based on a question that I answered on OnStartups. Q. I’m in the process of closing a deal with a new client, and the only sticking point is the choice of applicable law. I am located in state A, the client in state B. My contract says it will be governed by the law of state A. The client wants to change this to New York. Why? Would doing so open my company up to any unintended side effects/liabilities (e.g., taxes)?
When the Other Side Negotiates Too Aggressively….
Several days ago, a Quora question and answer caught may attention. The question asked about things some lawyers do that break, rather than make, deals. I was intrigued by the response “[s]ending over very aggressive opening terms as a negotiating ploy”.
That is a situation I have faced only rarely – most of the time, my clients’ counterparties are pretty reasonable. When excessively unreasonable terms do appear, however, there is a simple response: I refuse to negotiate. Instead, I reply along the line of the following:
Negotiating Successfully: The #1 Thing You Need to Know
Several years ago, a friend lamented that he was not very good at negotiating on behalf of his professional-services business. He felt that clients were better at “bluffing” and other negotiating techniques than he was, so he often was paid less than he should have been. I told him the single most important thing he needed to know if he wanted to negotiate successfully:
You have to be willing to walk away.
I Think the Economy – and Business Confidence – are Improving
I think the economy – and business confidence – are improving. The reason: During the past week, two of my clients received unsolicited acquisition overtures from well-known Bay Area companies.
I’ll readily admit that this? does not represent a statistically valid sampling of local businesses. Nevertheless, I find this development meaningful because the last time a client was acquired was years ago. (more…)
SBIR: Federal Money for Small Technology Companies
If your small technology company provides products or processes that might interest the U.S. government, you should know about the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.
The objective of SBIR is to provide qualified small businesses with opportunities to propose innovative ideas that meet the specific research and development needs of the federal government. (more…)
Watch Out for “You Don’t Own It until You Pay”
A start-up entrepreneur recently told me about the agreement he signed with the developer of his website. The agreement has what I consider, from the entrepreneur’s perspective, a most pernicious provision: Ownership of the website, and its intellectual property rights, does not pass from the developer to his client until the fee is paid in full.
I understand why developers like this type of provision: It gives them extra leverage to ensure that they are paid. (more…)
Negotiation: When What You Hold Can Make the Other Guy Fold
A couple of years ago I had one of my greatest thrills as an attorney.
My client owns several patents covering ways to improve the efficiency of certain types of lasers. We had succeeded in licensing a large company for one field of use. We were trying to sign up another company for a second field of use.
All business and legal issues had been resolved when, at the last minute, the licensee’s General Counsel demanded that my client convey, in addition to the patent license, certain broadly-defined rights to my client’s know-how. We refused, explaining that know-how never was part of the discussion, and if my client ever was interested in conveying know-how, it would come at a price. The parties then reached final agreement without the know-how provision.
Researching the Opposing Party: Forewarned is Forearmed
When I prepare to negotiate an agreement for a client, I start by researching the other party so I can gain insights that might help me represent my client more effectively. The obvious starting point is the website for the other party, where I can quickly understand its business and see who its executives are. But I also look for legal information that typically is available only elsewhere.
Every state has a searchable database of the businesses that have registered with that state, either because the business was formed there or because it was formed elsewhere and registered to do business in the state. Each state includes in its database, at a minimum, information about the corporations and limited liability companies. Most states include information about other types of business entities, too.
