In cloud services, whether it is infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), or software as a service (SaaS), service availability is often a significant customer concern because the customer is relying on the vendor to provide and manage the infrastructure and related components that are necessary to provide the services. To address this concern, vendors will often provide a Service Level Agreement (SLA) containing a commitment that the service will be available for a percentage of time (e.g., 99.9%) during a certain period (e.g., week, month, or quarter). This is often referred to as an uptime or availability commitment. When reviewing and negotiating an SLA with an uptime commitment, it is important to consider the following issues.

Uptime Percentage

Given the different types of cloud services and how those services are used, there is no standard uptime commitment provided by vendors. Rather, uptime commitments can range from 99.999% to 97% or even lower. It is also not uncommon for vendors to provide different uptime commitments for different parts of the service. Ultimately, a vendor’s uptime commitment will depend on a variety of factors, including the type of service, how a customer will use the service, negotiating leverage, and vendor’s business model.

Read More

Trainee associate Valeria Gaikovich contributed to this post.

Following adoption of the law on the preinstallation of Russian software on electronic devices in December 2019, the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) has developed draft guidelines to determine the types of electronic devices that will be subject to the new regulations, as well as the deadlines and procedures for the preinstallation of domestic software. The draft guidelines will not apply to electronic devices manufactured or released into circulation in Russia before July 1, 2020.

According to the draft guidelines, as of the dates set forth below, all touchscreen electronic devices with two or more functions (e.g., smartphones, tablets, smart watches) must have the following apps preinstalled:

Read More

Please join us in our Philadelphia office for our annual Technology, Outsourcing & Commercial Contracts Networking Roundtable. The roundtable will feature an in-depth discussion of hot topics relating to the increased connectivity of our businesses, including privacy concerns, data rights, cloud solutions, and contracting for the use of connected devices. Stay connected with us at the networking reception following the discussions.

We hope you’ll join us in Philadelphia on Thursday, April 16, 2020, from 3:30–5:30 pm ET.

Register now >>

Please join us for an in-depth discussion of subcontracting provisions and their effect on commercial transactions with technology, outsourcing, and commercial transactions of counsel Emily Lowe. Topics will include:

• Flow-down obligations
• Royalties and compensation
• Termination

We hope you’ll join us on Wednesday, March 11, 2020, from 12:00–1:00 pm ET.

Register now >>

In a long-term outsourcing, software as a service (SaaS), or other services agreement, the customer will typically push for a termination right relating to the service provider’s breach, and perhaps for an insolvency event or change in control of the service provider. However, the customer should also consider including the right to terminate for its convenience (without cause), which could cover any of the following situations:

• The customer is not satisfied with the service provider’s performance under the contract even though the provider is meeting its service level and other performance requirements under the contract.
• Many alleged breaches by the service provider are initially “black and white” in the view of the customer, but they turn “gray” when the service provider pushes back and alleges nonperformance, nonresponsiveness, lack of cooperation, and the like on the part of the customer. Adding the customer’s right to termination for convenience can avoid the potential dispute over whether the customer has the right to terminate on other grounds.

Read More

Please join us on February 26 for the next installment of the Morgan Lewis M&A Academy, where technology, outsourcing, and commercial transactions partners Mike Pierides and Anastasia Dergacheva, and intellectual property partner Ksenia Andreeva will discuss the intricacies of drafting data protection provisions in outsourcing and other services transactions.

Read More

Please join us on February 25 for the next installment of the Morgan Lewis M&A Academy, where technology, outsourcing, and commercial transactions partners Vito Petretti and David G. Glazer will discuss key considerations in structuring and negotiating transition services agreements in the context of M&A transactions.

Read More

Morgan Lewis has recently issued several LawFlashes on the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, providing a number of resources for businesses across the globe dealing with various compliance challenges and unanswered questions. In this rapidly changing situation, for example, employers must carefully balance concerns related to employee and public safety with protecting employees from unnecessary medical inquiries, harassment, and discrimination.

To help guide companies through this multifaceted public health crisis, Morgan Lewis has launched Responding to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus to keep on top of developments as they unfold.

Read More

Are you about to sign a service agreement with a third-party service provider under which it will access and use technology of your company? Have you checked your applicable third-party contracts to see if you need any consents? The contracts under which your company uses technology every day, from the mundane to the critical, may contain hidden restrictions on the third party’s access and use for your benefit under the services contract.

There is an endless number of arrangements a customer could have with its third-party service providers, but this Contract Corner will discuss the case where the customer authorizes a service provider to access and use licensed software either while remaining at the customer site, or by moving it to the service provider’s site. More specifically, it explores just some of the issues and language in the customer’s license agreements with those third-party software providers to be checked during pre-signing due diligence.

Read More

Please join us on February 18 for the next installment of the Morgan Lewis M&A Academy, where technology, outsourcing, and commercial transactions partner Doneld G. Shelkey, litigation partner Ezra D. Church, and labor and employment partner Lee Harding will discuss key privacy and security issues in both corporate and commercial contexts. Topics will include:

• Regulated industries
• Impact on cross-border deals
• Security issues in M&A deals
• Privacy issues in M&A deals

The Morgan Lewis M&A Academy, a 24-part series of tailored webinars led by a diverse team of firm lawyers, provides a comprehensive M&A overview and is ideal for learning about the latest M&A issues and developments. It is geared not only toward M&A professionals but also toward specialists with particular areas of focus (e.g., benefits, intellectual property, tax), whether they deal with M&A issues regularly or occasionally.

We hope you’ll join us on Tuesday, February 18, 2020, from 12:30–1:30 pm ET.

Register now >>