Greenberg Traurig

Subscribe to Greenberg Traurig via RSS

shutterstock_247848172The Boston Marathon is less than a month away. If you are training for the 26+ miles of winding, hilly roads through and around Boston, the odds are good that you are using some kind of wearable fitness device to track your run. You may find yourself constantly trying to top the stats of your last run, pushing harder and racing against previous times, perhaps even risking injury. How did we end up training against our fitness devices instead of training with them?

There’s no doubt that fitness data is a growing trend. Whether you are a runner or a couch potato, the fascination with such data has become an obsession. There are devices that tell us how far or fast we run, how much sleep we get, how many steps we take, and how many calories we consume and burn each day.Continue Reading TMI: When Does Fitness Data Become Too Much of a Good Thing?

Seed Money for Piggybank

On Tuesday, March 3rd, GT hosted a highly interactive roundtable meeting of entrepreneurs and investors in its Boston office.  About 25 companies from a range of industries, including medical device, healthcare IT, ed tech, life science, mobile tech, fashion, music, film and more, were able to meet with 5 venture capital and angel investors.…

Emerging medical device companies should consider these points when weighing a potential merger, strategic partnership or investment:medical technology

1. Identify unmet medical needs

Medical device titans are actively looking to acquire new technologies to treat unmet medical needs and drive market adoption. Larger medtech companies often view early-stage companies as outsourced R&D labs, and will pay a premium price for products that can drive future revenue. The larger the potential market, the higher the value to medtech titans.

2. Know the market and competitors

Acquiring technologies that can transform or dominate a market drives many deals and collaborations. Disruptive technologies that improve patient outcomes are in high demand. Larger medtech companies are always on the lookout for new devices or improved treatments that have no or few competitors. Understanding the strategic investment goals and criteria of potential suitors will further refine and focus a growing medtech company’s efforts to gain visibility and generate productive relationships.
Continue Reading M&A, Investment or Partnering Checklist for Medtech Companies

Gaming ConsoleVideo games were once associated with couch potatoes, but today there is growing legitimacy, especially around what is known as “eSports.” This type of professional competitive gaming is gaining popularity in the U.S., and eSports is breaking into the mainstream world — emerging technology companies, standard athletic programs, and even higher education institutions are jumping on the virtual band wagon.

According to Forbes, the U.S. started recognizing eSports players as professional athletes in July 2013. Last summer, ESPN.com began broadcasting an eSports championship, and Red Bull now sponsors a “Battle Grounds” eSports tournament.
Continue Reading Are You an E-Athlete?

Written By Natasha Wilson and Sumaya Ellard.

Unpaid summer internships have seemingly always provided mutual benefit to both employers and interns.  Interns have the opportunity to gain experience, build relationships, and learn about a particular career or industry in a “real world” setting, and employers gain support, albeit unskilled, from an enthusiastic worker.

However, the legality of the internship relationship is subject to increasing scrutiny. In 2010 the Department of Labor (DOL) set forth new guidance to help determine whether interns must be paid minimum wage and overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for the services provided to “for-profit” private sector employers. Since the introduction of the DOL’s guidance there has undoubtedly been a surge in wage and hour lawsuits filed on behalf of unpaid interns to seek wages. The Charlie Rose show has reportedly settled for $250,000 in back wages to 189 interns. Notably, the emerging trend in litigation is not limited to unpaid interns. In New York, a former Intern/Assistant Football Coach filed suit against Hamilton College’s Athletics Department alleging that he was paid the same monthly stipend regardless of the number of hours he worked, in violation of the FLSA’s minimum wage and overtime requirements. The plaintiff is representing a class of forty former interns, and is seeking unpaid overtime wages, liquidated damages, interest, and attorneys’ fees.
Continue Reading Interns – Pay Now, or Pay Later

Greenberg Traurig’s Boston Intellectual Property (IP) Group congratulates its client, Nanocomp Technologies, Inc., for receiving Carbon Nanotubethe Boston Patent Law Association (BPLA) Invented Here! award for two groundbreaking nanotechnology inventions. The New Hampshire-based developer of carbon nanotube materials for military/defense and commercial applications was one of only three featured honorees at the Invented Here! award…

Greenberg Traurig Investors Circle eventOn Oct. 28, Greenberg Traurig’s Emerging Technology practice group co-hosted the Investors’ Circle Beyond the Pitch: Impact Boston event alongside accounting firm McGladrey. Beyond the Pitch showcased 12-15 innovative companies that are solving a social and or environmental challenge and will connect those entrepreneurs to investors and advisors.

Continue Reading.