Overview
The Landscape
Technology companies — from SaaS platforms to e-commerce marketplaces — face a distinctive mix of IP, employment, and commercial legal challenges that require counsel who understands both the business and the technology. Shah Grossi advises tech founders and operators on the full range of legal matters from formation through scale.
Key Legal Challenges
- —Protecting software, algorithms, and digital products through IP strategy
- —Structuring technology licensing, SaaS, and distribution agreements
- —Managing remote workforces and contractor relationships under California law
- —Raising venture and institutional capital in compliance with securities law
- —Navigating data privacy requirements and terms of service
Common Scenarios
Problems We Solve
- 01
Enterprise customer agreements are signed with broad indemnity, data-security, and availability SLAs that do not match the company's actual operational capability — creating asymmetric risk.
How we help: Contracts · Risk & Compliance
- 02
Engineers and contractors build the product without IP assignment agreements in place, leaving ownership questions that surface during the first financing diligence.
How we help: Intellectual Property
- 03
The platform collects personal information from California residents but has no CCPA/CPRA-compliant privacy policy, data-subject-request workflow, or opt-out mechanism.
How we help: Risk & Compliance
- 04
A priced venture round closes on a term sheet with protective provisions and anti-dilution terms beyond market range — and founders only recognize the impact at a later exit or down-round.
How we help: Capital Raising
Our Work
How We Help
IP strategy including copyright, trade secret, and trademark protection
SaaS agreements, API licenses, and technology contracts
Employment and contractor agreements for distributed teams
Securities offerings including Reg D and convertible instruments
Commercial agreements with enterprise customers and partners
Equity incentive plans and employee option programs
Legal Services
Related Practice Areas
Common Questions
Frequently Asked
Q.Do I need a patent, or is copyright and trade secret enough?
For most software and SaaS companies, copyright (for source code and creative elements), trade secret (for proprietary algorithms, customer data, business processes), and trademark (for brand) together provide meaningful protection without the cost and disclosure of patents. Patents are worth pursuing for genuinely novel technical inventions that a competitor could independently develop or reverse engineer. Patent strategy should match the company's competitive moat, not a generic playbook.
Related: Intellectual Property
Q.What should be in my SaaS agreement?
Subscription term, payment terms, permitted use and restrictions, IP ownership (yours for the software, theirs for their data), data-security and confidentiality obligations, SLA with remedies, indemnification (balanced for both parties), limitation of liability, termination, and dispute resolution. Data protection addendums (DPAs) are often required for enterprise customers and should be coordinated with the main agreement, not added as afterthoughts.
Q.How do I handle data privacy across states and countries?
California's CCPA/CPRA is the most demanding US state regime and applies to most technology companies with California users. Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, and other states have parallel laws with their own nuances. The EU's GDPR applies whenever EU residents' data is processed. A privacy program typically includes a compliant privacy policy, data-subject-request workflow, data-retention and deletion practices, vendor DPAs, and a breach-response plan. Most tech companies build a single program designed for the most demanding applicable regime.
Related: Risk & Compliance
Q.How should I structure my company for venture capital?
Delaware C-Corp with clean founder equity (vested, 83(b) filed), executed IP assignments from everyone who contributed to core product, an authorized equity incentive plan with annual 409A valuations, clean corporate records and cap table, and all Form D and Blue Sky filings current on prior rounds. Investors will diligence all of this, and gaps cause delays and valuation pressure. The foundation is the same whether you raise a $2M seed or a $50M Series B.
Related: Business Formation · Capital Raising
Q.Are remote employees in other states a legal issue?
Yes. Each state where an employee resides triggers state-level employment tax, workers' compensation, unemployment insurance, and labor law compliance. Payroll and tax registration must be completed before payroll starts. State-specific handbook provisions are required (California is the most demanding, but many others have specific requirements). Using an employer-of-record service is a common interim solution for small numbers of employees in complex states.
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