HHR New Media, Entertainment and Technology Group

On April 7, the Digital HHR team will be presenting "App-endectomy: Removing the Mystery from the App Ecosystem", the next in its on-going series of live, CLE-accredited webinars. The explosive popularity of tablets, smartphones and other Internet-connected consumer devices has ushered in a new technology ecosystem driven by Apps. These self-contained software programs have not only provided the stakeholders involved with a compelling way to exploit everything from movies and games to magazines and newspapers, but have created a thriving new marketplace poised for ongoing, accelerated growth. While the stakeholders are many, the myriad of complex business and legal issues facing them are no less staggering in number. For publishers, content creators, App developers,

content distributors, aggregators, storefront operators and service providers, the successful navigation of a rapidly evolving landscape of shifting terms and conditions, privacy regulations, content restrictions and corresponding business considerations across multiple devices and platforms has proven a daunting but essential exercise for leveraging the economic opportunities available. In this CLE-accredited webinar, the DigitalHHR team will explore the critical business and legal challenges associated with the development, publication, distribution, sale and use of Apps. We will discuss the contours of in-App purchases, subscription-based offerings, and “freemium” models, as well as in-App advertising and App-based ad networks. We will analyze the evolving privacy terms and conditions associated with the use of Apps, and the corresponding laws, regulations and case law impacting end user data collection, disclosure and ownership. We will also address the terms and requirements promulgated by the various platform operators, including Apple, RIM (Blackberry) and Google (Android), and how they impact stakeholders’ participation across the different App environments. The webinar will be held on Thursday, April 7, 2011 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. EDT. To register, please click here.

With the proliferation of social networking website use, the concept of “data portability” is influencing the development of solutions to allow users to access multiple online profiles and social utility networks all in one place . . . it’s all about the easy access these days.  In addition, technology that enables a users particular online profile to “follow” them around the web, tracking certain activity, where interaction among “friends” will occur on websites that, thus far, have not been considered social is becoming more and more popular. Continue Reading »