Reports of large-scale data breaches, hacking and cyber attacks appear in the media almost daily. The recent Equifax breach alone has exposed sensitive personal information of over 143 million Americans. Phishing and ransomware attacks are also on the rise. Phishing attacks are used to steal user data, such as bank account or social security numbers...
When Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP first opened our doors in New Bedford in 2003, our lawyers had a vested-interest in helping to build an economic and cultural renaissance in the Southcoast region. The area was only just starting to recover from the 1990-1991 recession, where unemployment rates in some of our cities were reported...
By now, almost all Americans are aware that, as expected, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rolled back the net neutrality rules put in place in 2015. On Thursday, after almost a year of debate that escalated into heated exchanges, protests and the alleged hacking and manipulation of the public comment process, the FCC adopted a declaratory...
It has been a very exciting year for the marijuana industry in Massachusetts. A voter referendum in November 2016 approving the recreational use of marijuana culminated in legislation in July 2017. Various cities and towns are now determining whether to embrace the new economic development opportunities that are presented by the expansion of recreational marijuana...
Future Farm Technologies, Inc., a Vancouver based marijuana cultivator, has announced that it plans to purchase a 15,000 sq. ft. building in Providence for $750,000. The closing is set for January 15, 2018. The location of the building has not been disclosed. According to Future Farm’s press release, the building is zoned for marijuana cultivation. ...
Will next summer’s opening of the recreational marijuana market in Massachusetts impact Rhode Island’s medical marijuana demand? An industry leader and a government regulator recently expressed different views to committees of the Rhode Island General Assembly. Earlier this month, Norman Birenbaum, the Principal Policy and Economic Analyst for the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation...
Are your online Terms of Service enforceable? Businesses should review their account registration process in light of a recent court decision. In Meyer v. Uber Technologies, Inc., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld Uber’s Terms of Service and arbitration provision in the face of a challenge by an Uber user. The facts...
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) recently issued guidance to allow licensed medical marijuana dispensaries to operate as Massachusetts business corporations. Until July 2017, Massachusetts law required medical marijuana dispensaries to operate as non-profit corporations. However, the bill passed into law in July that allows the recreational use of marijuana, also contains a provision...
The Rhode Island Division of Taxation is offering a tax amnesty window program, beginning December 1. This is the first amnesty program since 2012, and the terms (discussed below) are very favorable to taxpayers. Any taxpayer with an outstanding Rhode Island tax issue should strongly consider whether to take advantage of this amnesty program. Qualifying...
Supporters of recreational marijuana use are still celebrating their legislative victory in Massachusetts. But whether they ultimately will be successful at the federal level still is unclear. While Attorney General Jeff Sessions has been sending signals that indicate that a federal crackdown on the use of marijuana may be imminent in states that have legalized...
