What's the BIZ? & Top Ten Legal Oversights That Can Shut Down Your Website

We will begin our regular meeting scheduled for May 21, 5:00 at the Pappajohn Center with a casual - meet and greet - networking session.

What?s the BIZ?

At 5:30 PM will be host a presentation by Mike Colwell, the new Executive Director of the Business Innovation Zone (BIZ), a new regional business accelerator through the Greater Des Moines Partnership. Every entrepreneur and small business owner in Central Iowa will want to meet Mike to learn how BIZ is uniquely situated to help entrepreneurs in Central Iowa.

BIZ will offer low cost mentoring and counseling to businesses of all varieties including advance manufacturing, bio and life sciences and high technology. Mike's focus is on businesses that may have the potential to grow on a regional or national level. To achieve this goal Mike will take entrepreneurs through a five-step process:
1. Determining the Strategic Fit and Connecting with the Market.
2. Business Planning.
3. What talent is necessary to start-up and grow?
4. What are the leadership needs?
5. Finding Capital.

Mike also has some very interesting things to say about the Iowa business environment and the qualities that define an entrepreneur.

Top Ten Legal Oversights That Can Shut Down Your Website

As if that weren't enough, at 6:00 PM we will feature a presentation by Brett Trout, a patent attorney who offers unique global perspectives on Intellectual Property and Information Technology issues. Brett is the author of "Internet Laws Affecting Your Company".

Online companies, by their very nature, do things that have never been done. Often, decisions are made without the benefit of legal counsel. Additionally, most attorneys are in the dark when it comes to legal issues in cyberspace. No brief presentation can insulate every company from online legal liability. This talk, however, will highlight the ten most common, and often the easiest to fix, legal issues that might otherwise shut down an entire company. Each of these ten issues is an "ounce of prevention" every company should consider.

What company does not use the Internet to do business? Unfortunately, out of the millions of companies online, only a handful understands the hundreds of Internet laws that can bring their thriving business to a screeching halt. Whether it is a security issue or a problem with a website developer, Brett will brief you on the tools to keep your business on firm legal footing and out of the courtroom. From email to intellectual property, Brett can help guide you and your company seamlessly through the expanding maze of Internet law and regulation.

MORE ABOUT MIKE COLWELL
A native of Iowa, Mike Colwell recently returned to the state from Seattle Washington settling in Ankeny Iowa. Mr. Colwell began his career with Norand Corp in Cedar Rapids over twenty years ago holding various positions within Engineering Field Sales and Marketing. As Vice President of Marketing, Mike oversaw the growth of the mobile computing segment grow from $200 million to $500 million per year revenue in a four year period and overall company revenue in excess of $950 million. Mike is an innovative marketing professional with 20+ years experience in bringing new products to market, developing new market niches, developing strategic plans and building vertical market solutions. He has an extensive background in Mobile Computing, Wireless communications and Auto ID technologies including RFID and barcode. Mike led the team that created the world?s first 3 radio wireless PDA, the forerunner to devices such as Palm Treo and Motorola Q. Mike received his undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa where he majored in Management Information Systems and minored in Computer Science.

MORE ABOUT BRETT TROUT
Brett Trout is a registered patent attorney and past president of the Iowa Intellectual Property Law Association. He is the current Chair of the Iowa State Bar Association Technology Committee and author of the book "Internet Laws Affecting Iowa Companies." Mr. Trout is also a contributing author to the American Bar Association's book, "The e-Business Legal Arsenal: Practitioner Agreements and Checklists." He practices in the areas of Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights, Software Licensing and eCommerce compliance. His practice also includes federal litigation of Intellectual Property and Complex Technology issues. Mr. Trout has drafted and prosecuted hundreds of trademark and patent applications before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He specializes in drafting and negotiating software and complex technology licensing agreements, guiding clients through the numerous intricacies of these highly specialized areas of the law. His practice covers intellectual property protection and consultation for clients across the country, and he is a frequent lecturer on all aspects of intellectual property and information technology legal issues.