Emerging Technologies

Babst Calland’s Emerging Technologies practice provides multidisciplinary business and legal representation for manufacturers, suppliers, start-ups, technology companies, investors, universities, and government entities in the full spectrum of technology, commercial and transactions, intellectual property, compliance, mobility, transportation safety, product quality, artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and automation matters.

In short, the practice serves the multidisciplinary legal and business needs of clients developing or investing in new technologies, new companies, and new ideas.

The Firm’s Emerging Technologies practice provides representation in the following key areas:

Corporate and Commercial, including representing and advising companies in early stage development, mergers and acquisitions, and equity and debt funding. This includes SaaS, Big Data, IoT, AI and robotics products and services in the retail, aerospace, autonomous vehicle, communications, healthcare, education, emergency management and system safety/security industries, among others. Additionally, we are invested in the regional innovation economies where we practice, and we leverage our deep cross-sector industry experience to provide our early-stage clients with education, mentorship, business counseling, strategic connections and access to resources, as appropriate.

Mobility, Transport and Safety, including regulatory, safety compliance, matters and proceedings before the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), data privacy/security counseling, business counseling, contract negotiation, technology and commercial aspects of automated/autonomous driving, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), mobility robotics, and commercial space. Among other things we provide strategic leadership and insights to manufacturers, suppliers, start-ups, and technology companies in mobility, transport, and safety matters of national significance, including those related to automated/autonomous driving systems and UAS, while promoting innovation, efficiencies, and cost-savings.

Intellectual Property, including the prosecution, licensing, and enforcement of their patent, copyright, and trademark rights. Among other things we provide counseling on how to strategically protect inventive creations, domestically and in foreign jurisdictions, advice on freedom to operate, infringement studies, portfolio analyses, and white space evaluations, and the preparation and negotiation of commercial and employment documentation relating to the ownership, use, transfer, sharing, and joint development of existing and new intellectual property. Our team has experience successfully prosecuting software patents, software/hardware hybrid patents, and patents related to robotics, AI, and IoT technologies.

Turnkey Transaction and Document Management Services, including due diligence, AI-enabled document management, post-closing integration, and project management.

Litigation and Product Liability Counseling, including employment counseling/litigation and product liability counseling/litigation, striking a balance between innovation and risk management. We provide our clients with a one-stop shop for risk management, including the development of business centric risk mitigation strategies (including insurance counseling), pre-litigation support, and full litigation/dispute resolution services and support.

Additional Resources

• Emerging Technologies 
• Mobility, Transport & Safety 
• Unmanned Aircraft Systems 
• A cautionary tale: The good and the ugly of convertible debt financing
• Find the middle ground: The corporate opportunity doctrine when your investors are competitors
• Financing for founders: A primer on SAFEs and their use in early-stage financing