Thought Leadership - Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP

Climate Disclosures: California Mandates Advance in Legislature with Modest Reprieve

Two proposed California laws that would mandate disclosure of climate-warming emissions and organizational “risk” related to climate change moved closer to Governor Newsom’s desk.

2023–24 California State Budget Finalized—At Least for Now

After around-the-clock weekend negotiations between Democratic legislative leaders and Governor Gavin Newsom, working against a looming June 30 constitutional deadline, leaders announced a budget agreement late Monday night.

Episode 24: AI-Generated Marketing: Who Owns the IP?

As the Artificial Intelligence space continues to quickly evolve, generative AI is making its way into every facet of our lives, including in music, books, photographs and even education.

EEOC Takes On Title VII and AI

Adding to the growing commentary on artificial intelligence (AI) in the employment context, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently issued a technical assistance document.

The NLRB Recently Takes Bold Action

NLRB General Counsel Cites Top Five Problems With Noncompetes Under the National Labor Relations Act

Protecting Musicians in GenAI: Key Takeaways From the U.S. Copyright Office

Generative AI presents a profound opportunity and challenge for artists in the music industry.

Cash is King: How A Capital Strategy Can Enable Today’s Startups to Survive

2023 has proved to be challenging for many cash-conscious startups, especially those that anticipated raising venture capital in the first half of the year.

Regulation of AI Systems is Already Here – Look to Data Protection Laws

As the scramble continues to reckon with the rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence models like ChatGPT, Bard, DALL-E, and Midjourney, and the promise of other AI and machine learning systems (for simplicity, “AI systems”) to come, legal and business professionals across industries are asking whether these systems will be regulated, and if so, how.

Carbon Capture and Sequestration – “Essential,” But Too Little, Too Late?

Manatt Land Use Partner David Smith wrote an article for Energy Law Journal about the efforts to adopt carbon dioxide removal strategies and the necessity of enacting them to combat climate change and accomplish Paris Agreement objectives.@Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) consists of methods such as carbon capture and sequestration, direct air capture, and @net-zero@ emissions aimed at reducing the...

Startup Financing: When Is a SAFE Not So Safe?

Startups have been raising money using the Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE) since it was first introduced by Y Combinator in 2013.

Startups, SAFE Act, Financing, Entrepreneurs