Tech & Sourcing @ Morgan Lewis

In part one, we discussed key considerations for the possible inclusion of commercial contract provisions affording a party with excusal/relief from liability for nonperformance of an obligation that it otherwise would have been required to perform under the agreement (relief provision).

Commercial contract provisions affording a party with an excuse from performance can take varying shapes and sizes, but they all serve the purpose of relieving the party from liability for nonperformance of an obligation that it otherwise would have been required to perform under the agreement.

As part of our Technology Marathon webinar series, partners Kristin Lee, Mike Pierides, and Steven Stone recently discussed financial regulators’ increasing focus on artificial intelligence (AI).

Worldwide IT spending is forecast to total more than $5 trillion in 2024, with 10% year-on-year growth of spending on data center systems, according to recent analysis from Gartner. The increasing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions is driving demand for technology infrastructure in order to meet greater data storage and network infrastructure requirements and more compute-intensive workloads.

Beginning January 17, 2025, the European Union’s Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) will require financial entities to maintain and submit to EU regulators a comprehensive register of their contractual arrangements with third-party information and communication technology (ICT) service providers. Financial entities are being given the opportunity to sign up for a voluntary reporting exercise by May 31, 2024, running between July and August 2024, to help them prepare for one of the most challenging aspects of implementing DORA.

We recently published a report based on our four-part series on Tech & Sourcing @ Morgan Lewis, in which we consider a number of conundrums facing companies looking to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) as part of their outsourcing arrangements. As outsourcing remains a key tool through which companies can streamline operations, cut costs, and access specialized expertise, the explosive advancements in AI and related technologies have introduced new and exciting opportunities and complexities for companies in implementing and maintaining outsourcing relationships.

Please join us on Thursday, May 16, 2024 from 2:00–3:00 pm ET as partners Amanda Robinson and David Plotinsky discuss recent increased US congressional attention on technology companies. This will include discussion of the rise in investigations/interest in artificial intelligence (AI), electric vehicles, green technology, and investments into or from technology companies with China ties, as well as practical tips on responding to a congressional letter or subpoena.

The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) recently published an update paper outlining its concerns with artificial intelligence (AI) foundation models (FMs). Market players in this space should remain mindful of the CMA’s growing interest as the regulator continues its dedicated program to consider the impact of FMs on markets throughout 2024, with a further update anticipated in August.

Please join us on Monday, May 13, 2024 at 12:00–1:00 pm ET as partners Steven Stone, Mike Pierides and Kristin Lee cover the latest US, UK, and European financial services regulatory expectations regarding artificial intelligence (AI). The discussion will include AI policies, procedures, third-party risk management, AI technology governance, and risk factor disclosures.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approved a Final Rule on April 23, 2024 banning almost all worker noncompetes. Questions abound regarding the authority of the FTC to create such a rule and the potential implications of its implementation. To help create some clarity, Morgan Lewis lawyers have prepared answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to the Final Rule’s applicability and anticipated impact as well as what businesses can do to prepare.