Internet and social media sites are awesome – they help you do lots of cool things.  Laws and regulations suck – they stop you from doing lots of cool things... But if you understand the law, you can use it to your advantage and even stay out of jail.

This presentation, tailored for non-lawyers, will explore the legal issues that internet start-ups need to address related to their site, their product and their users.  Topics will include:

• Terms of service – issues to address, issues to avoid, and how to get users to agree
• Defamation - how to avoid liability for user content
• Copyright and trademark infringement - how to make sure your user's content doesnt get you in trouble
• Privacy - how to make the most of the information you collect without pissing off your customers

For each topic, the presentation will include an overview of the law, practical guidance on how to apply the law in the context of a start-up, case studies drawn from current events, and insights based on real world situations from Meetup.

David Pashman is General Counsel at Meetup, specializing in internet and intellectual property law. Meetup is the world's largest network of local groups, with over 9 million members and 90,000 local groups meeting face-to-face.  Prior to joining Meetup, David was a corporate associate in the New York office of Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati, where he advised early stage technology and internet companies in connection with operating issues, venture capital financings, mergers and acquisitions and IPOs. Before joining Wilson Sonsini, David  was the Manager of Business Development at Menerva Technologies, a Silicon Valley start up.  In between he wandered purposefully throughout India for 6 months.  When not lawyering, he likes to get lost and found in the mountains.

Agenda:
6:45 - Arrive at the event, meet other members
7:00 - Meetup starts - Introduction
7:15 - Legal Issues in Social Media + Q & A
8:30 - Networking

Location:
New Work City (@nwc)
412 Broadway
Floor 2
New York, NY
[masked]

Directions: http://g.co/maps/e8kcj
Entrance on street view: http://g.co/maps/3v6gs

Our sponsors:

Offerpop - run viral marketing campaigns on Facebook and Twitter in minutes. Thousands of companies use Offerpop to grow fans and repeat customers.

New Work City is a coworking space and community center for independents in Manhattan. We gather in a cozy shared environment to work, collaborate, learn, and socialize. All you need is some work to do and a friendly disposition!

About our Host:

This event is part of NWCU, community-powered learning driven entirely by member participation. NWCU is a curated collection of classes, workshops, Meetup groups, and hackathons, all sharing one core common goal: help existing and aspiring independents build, learn, and share with one another, so more people can lead better, happier lives working for themselves.

NWCU is made possible by amazing supporters of independents and innovation: Google & New Work City.