Developments in technology and new methods of doing business test the elasticity of traditional legal concepts and the ingenuity of legislators. The field of IT law keeps moving and expanding, and this year’s webinar programme illustrates its increasingly broad reach and the importance of IT law in our professional and daily lives.
The term ‘cloud computing’ has become a familiar one in IT legal circles, but its concrete impact on legal practice is less than clear, and it deserves a seminar all to itself. Data protection law is undergoing a thorough overhaul in the EU, and we expect detailed proposals for change from the European Commission by the time of February’s webinar on the subject. IT contracts, the bread and butter of specialists in the IT field, are given two sessions - one a case law update, the other a detailed look at the vexed question of liability and exclusion clauses.
There are special rules on public procurement which all IT contract specialists need
to know, so once again a separate session is devoted to this topic. We also look at
new media in the workplace - if you can’t keep it out, how do you manage the risks?
Forthcoming Webinars
Here is the schedule of forthcoming webinars for this practice area.
On Demand Webinars
Here is a list of previously broadcast webinars that are now available on demand.
22nd Mar 2011
Liability and exclusion clauses in IT contracts – recent developments in the law
This webinar covers:
• Drafting proposals to address developments in case law
• Balancing liability and risk across the contract
• Practicalities in setting liability caps
• An update on recent decisions including Kingsway Hall Hotel v Red Sky and GB Gas v Accenture in the Court of Appeal
• Where do we stand after Internet Broadcasting v MAR and BSkyB v HP Enterprise Services?
8th Apr 2011
Privacy on the web
This webinar covers:
General good practice and legal requirements
• Transparency – how to collect personal data via websites. How clear must website operators be in their privacy notices? What does the ICO’s new online code of practice say?
• Applicable law and jurisdiction – which law applies to a website and how should website operators address compliance in many jurisdictions?
• Security – what is the legal risk of responsibility for website data breaches?
Cookies, other devices and social media
• Use of cookies and other devices – what does the ICO say on good practice?
• Choice – what options must be given on marketing and cookies?
• Social media – what good privacy practices should be adopted by users and businesses?
20th May 2011
Procurement of IT in the public sector – recent developments in law and practice
This webinar covers:
Legal and practical challenges facing IT procurement by public sector bodies in an age of austerity
• Renegotiation of existing contracts to drive down costs - the commercial and contractual levers, and the public procurement law concerns
• Termination of existing contracts to cut public spending - the potential mechanisms, costs, benefits and liabilities
• Buying shared services across government - the practical, contractual and public procurement law issues
• New risk transfer models - is it possible to achieve better value for money by recalibrating the balance of risk between purchaser and provider?
• Streamlining of government procurement procedures/standardisation of government IT contracts - can more be done to reduce the cost of procurement in the public sector?
26th Sep 2011
Peering through the cloud - contractual strategies for distributed computing
‘Cloud computing’ is generating considerable buzz in the technology world but its legal repercussions remain largely unexplored. It raises a myriad of legal issues, from what to consider during the early contractual stages to concerns over privacy and data security. Our webinar will not only offer practical recommendations for those about to embark on cloud projects but also provide you with insight into why businesses should consider the ‘cloud’.
This webinar will cover:
• What is the cloud?
• Why is it commercially attractive?
• What are the legal challenges and can they be overcome?
• Recommendations for lawyers and their colleagues embarking on cloud projects
7th Oct 2011
New developments in outsourcing
With budgets being squeezed, businesses of all shapes and sizes are resorting to outsourcing to cut costs and improve efficiency. Our expert speakers will examine the latest strategies and current market practice in pricing and benchmarking as well as offering you insight into what the future of outsourcing looks like.
This webinar will cover:
• New payment regimes and the move towards transaction/unitary based pricing
• The ebb and flow of benchmarking provisions
• Current market practice re liability provisions
• The residual impact of the credit crisis on termination, escrow, IP and step in provisions
• The impact of the move to the Cloud
• Potential trends for the future
• Trends in transformational outsourcing
- With global total contract values remaining low, has the traditional "scorched earth" approach to outsourcing had its day?
- Are collaborative transformational outsourcings the key to the conundrum of reducing the customer's spend and preserving the supplier's profitability
7th Nov 2011
Branding in the online world
In the modern world no business will survive without an online presence but this comes with its own inherent risks. The recent CJEU decisions on L'Oréal v eBay and Google France and Google C-236/08 and C-238/08 have put keywords and sponsored links under the spotlight. Our expert speakers will discuss the implications of these decisions for brand owners and offer you practical guidance and proven strategies to protect your brand in the online world.
This webianr will cover:
• Practical issues in brand and trade mark protection online
• Recent CJEU decisions regarding keywords, sponsored links and metatags
• Hot topics for the future
8th Feb 2012
New developments in data protection - revisions to the EC Directive
Technological developments and globalisation have created new challenges for data protection. The European Commission is currently revising the Data Protection Directive to ensure that it remains fit for purpose in the new environment. It is expect that it will introduce the accountability principle, which will require data controllers to put in place appropriate measures to ensure that the principles of the Directive are complied with and to demonstrate these to the supervisory authorities upon request. Our expert speakers will examine the proposals and discuss their practical implications.
The webinar will cover:
• Contents of the new legislation
• New responsibilities for data controllers
• Effect on transferring data worldwide
• The accountability principle – what it means in practice
