Matt Wilmot Discusses Some Legal Challenges and Opportunities Arising for Technology Companies as the Global Pandemic Continues

Partner Matt Wilmot contributed an article to Techlandia Magazine titled “Covid-19 and its Effect on Technology Companies: Legal Challenges and Opportunities During the Continued Global Pandemic,” Vol. 1, Issue 4, 2021/2022. The article discusses two ongoing impacts, one positive and the other negative, that Covid-19 is having on companies in the technology industry.

The increase in digitization of the global economy and in the volume of online interactions between technology companies and their customers presents risks in terms of data privacy and security but also provides opportunities. Companies are discovering that the data they gather can be commercialized to create new products and revenue streams.

On the other hand, technology companies will respond to strains on global supply chains by being, according to Wilmot, “more proactive and strategic in minimizing future supply chain disruptions, leading to closer relationships between manufacturers and suppliers and increased investment in supply chain technologies.”

Wilmot, who practices in Stoel Rives’ Technology and Intellectual Property group, notes that as technology companies battle through the pandemic, they will continue to fall back on old standbys: “New technology and IP can help technology companies better understand consumer behavior, strengthen their digital offerings, and alleviate supply chain pressures.”