Knowledge Base
Plain-language guides on contracts, formation, intellectual property, privacy and employment for technology and online businesses, written by the attorney who handles these matters.
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25 articles
Advanced eCommerce Automation
How automated order processing and small custom apps reduce manual work in an online store, including stock checks, address checks and fraud checks.
Automate Without AI
Ways to automate routine ecommerce tasks such as order handling, inventory updates and customer emails using built-in tools and scripts rather than AI.
Avoiding IP Infringement in a Competitive SaaS Market
How a SaaS company avoids infringing someone else's IP: open-source licence compliance, clearing a name before launch, and owning contractor-created work.
California Residential Lease Terms That Actually Matter
The California residential lease clauses that matter: the AB 12 deposit cap, Tenant Protection Act limits, required disclosures, late fees and termination.
Choosing A Business Type
A comparison of sole proprietorship, LLC, S-corp and C-corp for a technology startup, covering liability, investor expectations, tax and filing burden.
Custom Tools Are Worth The Spend
Why purpose-built internal software can repay its cost, with examples covering shipping portals, resource scheduling and instant sales quoting tools.
Drafting Employment Agreements For Tech Startups
The clauses a startup employment agreement needs, including IP assignment, confidentiality, California's ban on non-competes, equity and termination.
Equity Compensation: Stock Options vs. RSUs for Startups
How stock options and RSUs differ for a startup, covering strike prices, vesting, the timing of tax events and the effect of each on founder ownership.
How to Avoid Co-Founder Conflicts Through Strong Agreements
How a co-founder agreement settles equity splits, vesting, spending authority, decision rights and buy-sell terms before a disagreement becomes a dispute.
How To Draft A Privacy Policy That Builds Customer Trust
How to write a privacy policy for a website or online store: what CalOPPA requires of almost any site, when the CCPA notice at collection applies, what to say.
How to Protect Your SaaS Business With Robust Subscription Agreements
What a SaaS subscription agreement should settle about auto-renewal notice, cancellation, refunds and liability limits before a billing dispute starts.
I Do: Choosing the Best eCommerce Platform to Marry
How to compare ecommerce platforms on scale, security, bulk editing, SEO and inventory sync, and what a later migration costs in time, data and rankings.
Legal Considerations for AI-Driven SaaS Products
Issues to work through before shipping an AI feature: training data consent, bias monitoring, ownership of outputs, liability limits and explainability.
The Importance Of Arbitration Clauses In Tech Contracts
What an arbitration clause changes about cost, speed, privacy and appeal rights in a technology contract, and the drafting points that decide how it works.
The Key Legal Documents Every SaaS Startup Needs
The founding paperwork a SaaS company should have in place: operating agreement or bylaws, founder agreement, invention assignment and confidentiality terms.
The Legal Risks Of Misclassifying Employees As Contractors
How California's ABC test, its exemptions, the Borello test and Labor Code Section 226.8 penalties determine and price a misclassification finding.
The Legal Risks of Relying on AI for Content Creation
Who answers for AI-written content that is false, biased or defamatory, and the review steps and disclaimers that lower the risk before you publish it.
Understanding GDPR, CCPA, and Other Data Privacy Laws: A Guide for SaaS Companies
How GDPR and the CCPA decide which companies must comply, and what consent, data minimization, user rights, notice and security require of a SaaS company.
Vendor Agreements 101: What Every Tech Company Should Know
The terms that decide a vendor relationship: scope of work, payment, ownership of deliverables, confidentiality, termination, liability caps and disputes.
What Every SaaS Founder Should Know Before Selling Their Company
What to prepare before selling a SaaS company, covering records and contracts, clean ownership of the code, employee treatment and the buyer's own plans.
What To Do If Your Business Experiences A Data Breach
An ordered response to a data breach: contain it, scope it, notify the people and agencies entitled to notice, support affected users and document each step.
What You Own and How to Protect It: IP for California Software Companies
What a California software company owns in its code, brand and know-how, and how trademark registration, copyright registration and trade secret law secure it.
What Your Online Store's Terms of Service Need to Say
What an online store's terms of service should cover, how to get customers to agree to them so they hold up, and the California consumer rules that limit them.
When To Use NDAs And How To Draft Them Properly
When an NDA is worth asking for, and the four terms that make it work: the definition of confidential information, duties, duration and remedies for breach.
When You Shouldn't Use AI in Your Business
Where a language model is the wrong tool, covering arithmetic, strict if-then logic and tasks that need the same answer every time, and what to use instead.