K6 Blog

You're heading into dangerous waters. On May 25, 2018, the European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) goes into full effect, and it will almost certainly affect you. If you are not compliant with the GDPR by this date, you could face fines of up to 20 million Euros or 4% of worldwide annual revenue per breach . So it's important to understand whether the GDPR applies to your business, and if it does, what you must do to comply. It probably applies to YOU The GDPR is a comprehensive regulation meant to protect the personal data of EU citizens, wherever that data might be processed . It greatly expands the geographical scope of the EU data protection laws. In fact, the GDPR applies not only to organizations located within the EU, but also to organizations located outside of the EU if they offer goods or services to, or monitor the behavior of, EU residents. So US-based companies will need to comply with the GDPR if they are doing business...

by Heather Zalar Steele , Fisher Phillips The use of biometric data is continuously increasing, including in the workplace.  Biometric data may include facial characteristics, hand geometry, a retina/iris scan, a fingerprint or a voiceprint.  Employers often collect and use biometric data to establish records of employee hours, to restrict access to specific areas, computer systems, data or devices, to provide security and to promote employee health, including through wellness programs. Employers who use biometrics should be mindful of regulations that impact their ability to collect, retain and use biometric data.  Numerous states, including Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, Texas and Wisconsin, have data breach notification laws that require notifications relating to the disclosure of biometric data.   New Mexico is the most recent state to enact such a law.    On April 6, 2017, New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez signed into law the state’s firs...

K6 Partners and ValTeo Tech Leverage Legal and Software Expertise to Accelerate Digital Adoption SAN FRANCISCO–May 3, 2017– K6 Partners and ValTeo Tech today announced a strategic partnership offering an innovative end-to-end approach to digitally transform  mid-market and enterprise businesses. As a leader in  digital business, law and policy  services, K6 Partners supports digital transformation initiatives, helping to ensure clients of all sizes can innovate with confidence. ValTeo Tech provides  multi-platform integration and development  services enabling organizations to accelerate adoption of digital transformation solutions. By combining the expertise of both firms, organizations of all sizes are better able to maximize digitally transformative initiatives, take on new opportunities and improve the speed and precision of management decision-making. “As experts in cross-platform recording, management and cost metering of digital transactions, we’re pr...

In December 2016, K6 Blog published this post instructing lawyers to "start thinking like developers" to remain relevant in the age of smart contracts. The following post appeared April 18, 2017 in the New Jersey Law Journal. By  Charles Toutant , New Jersey Law Journal Lawyers who advise clients on "smart contracts" drawing on blockchain technology say some potential adopters liken them to a "magic pill" that will provide a cure to all their contract-related headaches. But as " smart contracts"  become more common in more sectors of the economy, lawyers will need to increase their technical know-how and renew their focus on counseling clients instead of ministerial work, according to specialists in this fast-evolving field. While expectations should be tempered, experts said adoption of the new technology will bring changes to the practice of law. Some boosters of the technology have expressed unbridled enthusiasm for blockchain tec...

By Ken Moyle Here are five basic principles underlying blockchain technology. 1. Distributed Database  Each party on a blockchain has access to the entire database and its complete history. No single party controls the data or the information. Every party can verify the records of its transaction partners directly, without an intermediary. 2. Peer-to-Peer Transmission  Communication occurs directly between peers instead of through a central node. Each node stores and forwards information to all other nodes. 3. Transparency with Pseudonymity  Every transaction and its associated value are visible to anyone with access to the system. Each node, or user, on a blockchain has a unique 30-plus-character alphanumeric address that identifies it. Users can choose to remain anonymous or provide proof of their identity to others. Transactions occur between blockchain addresses. 4. Irreversibility of Records  Once a transaction is entered in the database an...

You're not Facebook. You're not Google. You are part of an institution that's been around a lot longer than the internet. Your business is healthy. You've got customers, employees and suppliers who know you and trust you. But something's happening out there. New employees roll their eyes at your form-laden onboarding process; customers complain about your rigid delivery constraints; vendors use contracting tools that outpace your procurement systems; new competitors are springing up with "disruptive" approaches to the market, ever more capable of providing what their customers want, at the time and place they want it. You are coming to realize that technology adoption is no longer an option. Companies less able to adapt have already disappeared, many unaware that the world had passed them by. You are different, and that's why you've been around so long. "90% of companies are likely to be disrupted, yet less than half are preparing fo...

By Ken Moyle It's 2017 and your department is still overrun with paper. Your customers, employees and vendors are becoming more and more frustrated with you. Going digital is "on the road map" but doesn't seem to be getting any closer to reality. Why? From conversations with transformation leaders around the country, the seemingly simple concept of electronic signatures often gets intractably complicated soon after it's introduced to the organization. Internal resistance to change rears its head in many familiar ways, including dire predictions of unenforceability and loss of control, unsubstantiated conclusions about increased compliance risk or external adoption, and general concerns that the path forward is not clear enough to take such a significant step.  ​ ​ This is particularly true with mature organizations , where you must not only automate your current processes, but also investigate what they were intended to accomplish in the first place, ...