Lancaster County Technology Law Attorney

Business attorney filling out contract

If it seems surprising to you that Amish country would be a hidden technology stronghold, you’re not alone. Lancaster is one of PA’s best-kept tech secrets

Lancaster Tech Law delivers strategic technological, business, and legal advice to clients in and around Pennsylvania. Whether you are launching a new business, engaging in transactions, or facing a dispute, we will leverage our legal knowledge, technological skills, and business insight to protect your interests and help you achieve your objectives. 

We understand that rapid advances in technology – artificial intelligence, automation, big data, blockchain, and cybersecurity – are impacting businesses in every industry, presenting both risks and rewards. 

The Informed Choice In Technology Law Throughout Pennsylvania

We deliver sophisticated representation to service providers and business clients on technology transactions along with negotiating and preparing all types of tech contracts, including:

  • Master Service Agreements to establish a platform for the continued provision of services by a service provider to a customer 
  • Statement of Work Guides detailing the type and nature of services to be performed
  • Software License Agreements for both licensors and licensees addressing the associated legal, technical, and economic issues of anticipated usage
  • SaaS Contracts, or Software as a Service Agreements, that involve all types of SaaS providers focused on pricing, renewal, expansion, support, data protection, and liability
  • Website Development Agreements for developers and customers covering design, development, hosting, maintenance, training, and support

In addition, we advise businesses on a wide range of technological issues, such as:

  • Data Protection (e.g., HIPAA)
  • Data Breaches/Cybersecurity
  • Privacy Policies
  • Terms of Use
  • Procurement Agreements
  • Confidentiality Agreements
  • Non-compete and Nondisclosure Agreements
  • Employment Agreements
  • Consulting Agreements
  • Independent Contractor Agreements
  • Technology Counseling
  • Litigation

As business and technology lawyers, we work to help you navigate the risks of technological advances, recognize novel nuances, seize opportunities, and grow your business. 

Cybersecurity Intersects With Technology Law

Most entities, both in Pennsylvania and around the country, are charged with protecting sensitive business and personal information. This confidential data about clients, business partners, contractors, patients, donors, and employees is usually stored on local servers or in the cloud. 

But what should happen if there is a cyber breach and critical data is compromised or stolen? How will your business protect its confidential information, customers, and reputation? 

That’s where Lancaster Tech Law comes in. Our attorneys work to safeguard businesses against all types of cybercrime, including:

  • Cyber attacks when computer systems are targeted by viruses (e.g., worms, Trojan horses) to deny service or sabotage activities
  • Cyber theft or attempts to steal money, personal or financial data for identity theft and impersonation, or even electronic resources, such as cryptojacking.
  • Ransomware or Distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks that strike businesses, hospitals, state and local governments, and schools through malware that encrypts or locks essential digital files and demands a ransom to release them.
  • Online harassment and cyberstalking where businesses or individuals are tracked and tormented, often being doxxed or blackmailed with defamatory or humiliating information on social media.
  • IP Piracy where another party reproduces, copies or spreads your copyrighted materials.
  • Other computer security incidents, including phishing, spoofing, adware, fraud, and other forms of hacking or attempts to breach company data

We counsel clients on data breach prevention, develop systems and procedures to preserve confidential data  – such as encryption, safety, and recovery protocols  – and explore legal remedies for breaches, including cyber litigation. In addition, we advise clients on compliance with applicable state and federal laws, including:

  • The Pennsylvania Breach of Personal Information Act
  • Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
  • Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA)
  • Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) 
  • Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
  • The Electronic Communications Privacy Act
  • The Stored Communications Act
  • The Video Privacy Protection Act

When you become our client, our capable cybersecurity lawyers will work to protect your confidential business information and bring you peace of mind. 

How Technology and the Law Impact Businesses In Lancaster

Technology is having a transformative impact on businesses in Lancaster County and throughout Pennsylvania. From changing the way companies produce goods and deliver services to shaping customer preferences, technology increases productivity, accelerates economic activity, promotes interdependence, and allows new technologies to emerge.

Lancaster itself has a long history of welcoming this innovation, especially (though perhaps counterintuitively) in the traditional farming industry.

Productivity

Technology increases business productivity through process improvements, the development of employee skills, and product development. For example, email and videoconferencing make business communications faster and increase worker productivity. Similarly, online customer service and customer support pages reduce the need for personal attention without sacrificing customer experience and satisfaction. 

To help their tech-savvy agribusiness readers increase their productivity, the website Lancaster Farming regularly features articles on robotic mushroom arms, tree health sensors, and chicken-coop Roombas, as well as curating roundup articles of other ag-tech news and tools. 

Acceleration

Online data transfers, money transfers, web purchasing, internet file sharing, and other technologies accelerate the production cycle, making the capitalization, sale, and distribution of goods and services considerably faster. In short, technology forces companies to move faster to meet consumer demands and provides the tools to do so. 

Tech start-ups in Lancaster are inventing new technology to accelerate services even more. Reflexion Interactive Technologies, for example, has developed a portable neuro-fitness training device, Relexion Edge, that can determine whether an athlete is suffering from a concussion in 30 seconds at a price even high schools can afford. In 2020, the company was one of five Lancaster County tech start-ups to receive money totaling over $500,000 from Ben Franklin Technology Partners to continue investment despite COVID setbacks. The other four are Boostpoint, ERApeutics (Evermind), Integrated Platform Services (Constance), and Sustainable Composites

Interdependence

Technology allows businesses to communicate and transfer resources with ease. Internet videoconferencing, instant access to economic data, and advances in logistics, communication, and transportation allow companies in Lancaster to conduct business across the state, the country, and all over the world. Inspired by technology already popular in Europe, the engineering firm RETTEW, for example, was a leader in helping complete one of America’s largest on-water solar power systems in 2019.

However, globalization and interdependence also create more opportunities to encounter trials and tribulations unique to the digital revolution. Every business, in every industry, can benefit from having a techy law firm to help them respond to online criticism

Technological Advances

Driven by consumer demand for new goods and more convenient services, businesses in Pennsylvania are integrating new technologies, such as software, automation, and AI, into their daily operations, providing new products, and competing with one another based on their pace of innovation. 

Lancaster’s long history of welcoming new technology includes producing the pioneering 19th-century aeronaut John Wise, whose 462 balloon ascensions inspired him to invent the ripcord. The city’s well-known agricultural innovation can boast of Wenger Feeds, whose experimentation with an auger and timer in the 1960s made them early adopters of the computerization of the bagging and milling industry. And in 2014, Armstrong World Industries (a company that, under a previous name, participated in three World’s Fairs) earned the first-ever LEED innovation credit for superior acoustic design.

Although adopting new technologies is essential for every business, each advance presents new challenges. Without proper employee training on a new software system, for example, technology can decrease productivity. 

Moreover, the rapid migration of personal and business data to the cloud makes companies more vulnerable to cybercriminal attacks that can adversely impact operations or force them to close. In 2021, the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce was well-aware of these weaknesses and decided to do something about them. They spearheaded an investigation into the explosion of fraudulent unemployment compensation claims and lobbied the state to implement anti-fraud technology and procedures. 

The best way to balance the risks and rewards of technological advances is to work with a knowledgeable lawyer who will know not just what legal arguments can save the day, but what metadata can.

Contact Our Experienced Lancaster Technology Law Attorney

Whether you need assistance implementing new technologies, navigating technology transactions, conducting digital forensics, or responding to a cyber breach, turn to Lancaster Tech Law. We are proud of Lancaster’s innovative past and have the skills, knowledge, and experience to assist with all your technology and business needs of the future. Contact our office today to get started.