The next technological revolution has arrived. The Internet of Things (IoT) is changing the way business is done, and Ice Miller is helping clients navigate this new frontier.
The IoT - a network of interconnected devices that collect, transmit, analyze, and communicate data - presents new legal risks and opportunities across a wide-range of industries. Ice Miller provides legal solutions for our clients, including those involved with Smart Cities, Connected Autonomous Vehicles (CAV), the Industrial Internet of Things, the Internet of Health Things, Intelligent Transportation Systems, and many other connected businesses.
To serve the ever-changing legal needs of these industries, our IoT team brings together lawyers from all disciplines who combine their traditional legal experience with in-depth knowledge about the IoT and how it impacts business.
- Smart Investments in a World of Smart Devices. We tailor commercial agreements (from buy-sell agreements to supply, distribution, and licensing agreements) to address the new issues arising from the use of smart devices, such as data ownership, while recognizing that traditional issues, such as representations, indemnifications, product warnings, and many others will need to reflect this changing world.
- Securing and Sharing Data. We work with businesses, cities, and other entities to identify and mitigate risks associated with the use of connected devices, including the collection and transfer of data, the response to security incidents, and the mitigation of legal risk from cyber-attacks related to interconnected devices. We also help clients protect trade secrets embedded in their interconnected devices and potentially accessible via the Industrial IoT.
- Broadband/Connectivity. The proliferation of the IoT creates unprecedented new uses for internet-enabled devices and heightens the demand for high-speed connectivity among residential and commercial users. Our work spans the full broadband pipeline from assisting municipalities that seek to foster economic development and Smart Cities initiatives, to ensuring sufficient broadband connectivity in the corporate site selection process, to working with internet providers and manufacturers of related tech equipment, and more. This experience enables public and private sector clients to stay at the forefront of the IoT revolution.
- Protecting Intellectual Property Connected to the IoT. The IoT has spurred unprecedented collection, collaboration, and sharing of information. These emerging technologies present changing intellectual property concerns. From copyright issues, to ownership and sharing of IoT data, to patent protections for IoT technologies, IoT innovators must be aware of, and ready to navigate, these intellectual property challenges.
- Marketing IoT Devices. IoT device vendors must develop strategies to obtain informed consent for use of data in a manner that is both acceptable and easy to implement, while providing consumers with enough information to make informed decisions.
- Liability of Interconnected Devices. The growth of interconnected devices will change some of the basic principles of liability. Understanding how the IoT works allows for new approaches in litigation and potential recalls. Companies need to be aware of these potential changes in liability as they evaluate risk, consider insurance needs for themselves and their suppliers, and enter into indemnification agreements. Connected devices will change the way various warranties operate.
- The IoT and Health Care. Mobile medical device applications allow patients to conveniently capture their health data which is helping physicians better detect and treat illnesses. Providers such as hospitals utilize the IoT to monitor patients, personnel, and medical devices. With data becoming increasingly present and accessible, it is important for healthcare professionals and organizations to fully understand the benefits and potential risks associated with this data. We represent health care providers and medical device manufacturers on a variety of issues, including HIPAA Privacy and Security.
- IoT Policy. Congress and the Federal government are becoming aware of the significant impact the IoT has on individuals, businesses, and the economy. As these impacts are evaluated, Congress and federal agencies will be significantly involved in the creation of policy, standards and regulations that will affect how the IoT propagates in the U.S. These actions will have uneven impacts across different industries, and companies must be aware of what is being contemplated and able to pursue changes to these polices before they are set. We work with clients to ensure they are well informed and proactive on IoT issues and able to mitigate problems and bring about rationale outcomes before Congress and the Administration.
- Creating a Culture of Employee Privacy and Data Security. The IoT raises new and ever-changing employee relation issues. Employers that compile personal and health information on employees, such as from fitness monitoring devices used as part of a wellness program, must adopt appropriate practices to protect that information to avoid privacy claims or HIPAA violations. Other policies, along with employee training, should be used to develop an overall culture of data security.
- Insuring Against the Not Yet Known. Products incorporating the IoT may not be completely covered under standard insurance policies. Companies will want to review policies to confirm coverage for the unique risks related to interconnected devices.