Posts by Kristie Prinz
FTC Settles with Ed Tech Provider Chegg for $7.5 Million over Cancellation Practices
The FTC has recently announced that it has reached a settlement with Ed Tech provider Chegg, a Silicon Valley-based business, for $7.5 million over its cancellation practices. The Complaint charged that Chegg violated ROSCA, 15 U.S.C Sections 8401-8405 by failing to provide simple mechanisms for consumers to cancel their subscriptions. According to the Complaint, Chegg…
Read MoreFTC Secures Order Against Match for $14 Million Over Subscription
The FTC has recently announced that it has secured a $14 million order against Match Group on a variety of claims, including misleading users about guarantees and making it difficult for customer to cancel subscriptions. While Match Group businesses are a unique class of dating app businesses, the facts of this case resulting in the…
Read MoreFTC Sues LA Fitness Over Recurring Membership Practices
The FTC recently sued nationwide gym chain LA Fitness over its recurring membership and cancellation practices, based on alleged violations of Section 5(a) of the Federal Trade Commission Act (“FTC Act”), 15 U.S.C. Section 45(a) and Section 4 of the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act (“ROSCA”). Although this case involves a gym membership rather than…
Read MoreSanta Clara Settles Subscription Suit Against HelloFresh for $7.5 Million
Santa Clara County just recently announced that it has obtained a $7.5 million settlement in a consumer protection lawsuit against HelloFresh over its subscription and advertising practices. The case was filed as a civil matter in Santa Clara County and was led by the Santa Clara County and Los Angeles County district attorney’s offices for the…
Read MoreFTC Obtains $2.5 Billion Settlement Against Amazon over Deceptive Subscriptions
The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) has just obtained a $2.5 billion settlement against Amazon over its “deceptive” subscription practices. To view the announcement by the FTC click here. Amazon will be required to pay a $1 billion civil penalty, provide $1.5 billion in refunds back to affected consumers, and cease its unlawful enrollment and…
Read MoreAI Lawyer Kristie Prinz to Present on “Managing the Legal Risks of AI”
AI Lawyer Kristie Prinz will present a webinar on “Managing the Legal Risks of Artificial Intelligence on Intellectual Property and Confidential Information” for the Orange County Bar Association, Health Care Law Section on August 27, 2025 from 12-1 p.m. PT. The presentation has been approved for 1.0 MCLE Credit. To register, please sign up at…
Read MoreFour Lessons from the FTC’s Suit Against Uber over its Subscription Agreement
This video was recorded by Kristie Prinz on 5.15.25:
Read MoreFTC Initiates Enforcement Action against SaaS Company for Subscription Practices
If you run a subscription-based SaaS business and have not reviewed your subscription practices lately, the FTC is again putting you on notice that subscription practices are an oversight and enforcement priority for the federal agency. In fact, the FTC just recently filed a complaint against Uber Technologies, Inc. and Uber USA, LLC in the…
Read MoreRecording Released of “Best Practices for Launching a Software Development Project”
The Silicon Valley Software Law Blog is pleased to announce that the recording of the recent presentation by Software Lawyer Kristie Prinz on “Best Practices for Launching a Software Development Project” is now available at this link: https://theprinzlawoffice.vhx.tv/products/best-practices-for-a-software-development-project.
Read MoreSaaS Lawyer Kristie Prinz authors article on “Managing the Legal Risks of Artificial Intelligence (“AI”)”
SaaS Lawyer Kristie Prinz’s article titled “Managing the Legal Risks of Artificial Intelligence on Intellectual Property and Confidential Information” has just been published online by the American Psychological Association’s Consulting Psychology Journal. Digital access is available for purchase at this link.
Read MoreFailure to Address Implementation in SaaS Contracts Leads to Disputes
Software Lawyer Kristie Prinz Explains in this video recorded 1.22.25 why failure to address implementation in SaaS contracts is common cause of disputes.
Read MoreFTC Announces Final “Click to Cancel” Rule for Consumer Subscriptions and Memberships
The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) has just announced the final version of its “Click to Cancel” Rule for consumer subscriptions and memberships. The Rule will go into effect 180 days after it is published with the Federal Register. Full Text of FTC Rule The full text of the FTC Rule is linked here, at pages…
Read MoreCalifornia Enacts New Law to Apply to Consumer Subscriptions
California has just adopted a new law that will apply to consumer subscriptions, along with memberships and other autorenewing or continuous service arrangements with consumers. AB 2863 amends California’s existing autorenewal law to add additional protections for consumers with respect to autorenewing or continuous billing charges. The “click to cancel” law will apply to all…
Read MoreKristie Prinz to Lead New Silicon Valley Home Group in ProVisors
I am pleased to announce that I am a new ProVisors home group leader in the Silicon Valley Region. I will be leading a new Silicon Valley Virtual 1 Group, which will be an all-virtual home group for service providers engaged in Silicon Valley business. The group will meet the first Friday of the month…
Read MoreKristie Prinz to Speak at Upcoming Practicing Law Institute Program
The Silicon Valley Software Law Blog’s Kristie Prinz of The Prinz Law Office will be speaking at an upcoming one-day Practicing Law Institute Program to be held on October 9, 2024 at the PLI headquarters in San Francisco, California. Kristie will be speaking on “Drafting Privacy Policies for Devices with No User Interface – What…
Read MoreSoftware Lawyer Kristie Prinz Introduces The Prinz Law Office
Software Lawyer Kristie Prinz introduced The Prinz Law Office in this video recorded 8.20.24
Read MoreKristie Prinz Explains Why to Review Your Key Customer Contracts in a Sluggish Economy
Kristie Prinz explains why to review key customer contracts in a sluggish economy in this video recorded 8.16.24
Read MoreKristie Prinz Explains Why Not to Use the Term “SaaS License”
SaaS Lawyer Kristie Prinz Explains in this recording from 2022 why not to use the term “SaaS License.”
Read MoreRevisiting Your Software Company’s Most Important Customer Contracts in a Sluggish Economy
It has become increasingly clear over the past few months that businesses are in a cost-cutting mode, as the economy has become more and more sluggish. While your software company is likely focusing on its own cost-cutting strategy, have you stopped to consider whether your most significant customers might be doing the same? …
Read MoreSaaS Lawyer Kristie Prinz Selected to 2024 Super Lawyers Northern California List
The Prinz Law Office is pleased to announce that Silicon Valley Software Law Blog’s Kristie Prinz has been selected to the 2024 Super Lawyers Northern California list. Each year, no more than five percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor. Super Lawyers,…
Read MoreThe Prinz Law Office Announces the Launch of New Services Offerings Effective August 1, 2024
The Prinz Law Office has recently announced the launch of three new service offerings to our clients, which were effective August 1, 2024. First, we have made available a new fractional counsel services plan for those of our clients seeking a recurring monthly arrangement with the firm based on an anticipated volume of work at…
Read MoreKristie Prinz to Speak on Negotiating SaaS Contracts in an Uncertain Economy
The Prinz Law Office will host a 30 minute webinar on Thursday August 29, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. PT on “Negotiating SaaS Contracts in an Uncertain Economy.” Silicon Valley Software Law Blog’s Kristie Prinz will be the presenter, and will address best practices in negotiating SaaS contracts when the economy is unpredictable. To attend, please…
Read MoreWhat are the Software Contracting Lessons to be Learned from Today’s Worldwide Technology Disruption?
This video was recorded by Kristie Prinz on 7.19.24 about the lessons to be learned from the Crowdstrike technology disruption.
Read MoreIntroduction to Software and SaaS Lawyer Kristie Prinz
This introduction was recorded by Kristie Prinz on 7.9.24 to introduce viewers to her background and experience.
Read MoreShould Your Company Rethink its Software Subscription?
Silicon Valley Software Lawyer Kristie Prinz addressed in this video the FTC’s recent action against a software company over its annual pay monthly software subscription.
Read MoreFTC Proposes “Click to Cancel” Rule Provision for Recurring Subscriptions and Memberships
The FTC recently proposed that its “Negative Option Rule” be updated to reflect a new “Click to Cancel” provision, which would protect consumers from being forced to pay for unwanted subscriptions and memberships. A copy of the FTC notice of proposal is linked here. What is the FTC’s Negative Option Rule? The Negative Option Rule…
Read MoreFTC Files Lawsuit Against Adobe over Annual Paid Monthly Subscription Software Model
Consumer-facing SaaS and software companies are on notice by the FTC that their subscription billing practices are under scrutiny. The FTC has just filed a lawsuit against Adobe over its “Annual Paid Monthly” subscription model, which the FTC says in its consumer alert “put subscribers on the hook for a whole year of payments, paid…
Read MoreCalifornia Considers Adoption of SB1047, Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act
California is on the verge of adopting a controversial bill that would impose unprecedented new regulations on the development of AI: SB 1047: Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act. A full copy of the bill has been linked here. If adopted, the proposed bill would establish unprecedented new compliance obligations for…
Read MoreThe Prinz Law Office Announces Launch of New Subscription Plans
The Prinz Law Office is pleased to announce the launch of a new subscription plan, which is intended to simplify the process of working with a lawyer for companies as well as individuals. The firm’s subscription plans have been been designed to uniquely enable clients to hire and communicate with counsel without the fear or…
Read MoreNew California Law to Mandate Release of VC Investment Diversity Information
Updated 6.21.24 Governor Newsom has just signed SB 54, which will require venture capital firms in the state of California to annually report the diversity of founders they are backing. According to Tech Crunch’s reporting, SB 54 will result in amendments to the Business and Professional Code and also will amend part of the Government Code pertaining…
Read MoreSilicon Valley Arbitration and Mediation Center Publishes Guidelines on Use of Artificial Intelligence in Arbitration
The Silicon Valley Arbitration and Mediation Center has published for public comment a first draft of “Guidelines on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Arbitration.” The proposed guidelines were drafted by the Center’s AI Task Force Guidelines Drafting Subcommittee and are intended to provide a framework for how to use artificial intelligence in domestic and…
Read MoreTalk with an Expert Series: Beau Fernald Shares Software Implementation Best Practices
Silicon Valley Software Law Blog’s Kristie Prinz recently sat down for an interview with Beau Fernald, Fractional COO and Principal of Aware Insights LLC to discuss the topic of software implementation. As we have discussed in prior blogposts, one of the most common drafting mistakes in software contracts is failing to sufficiently define the…
Read MoreFTC Announces Settlement with Twitter Over Deceptive Use of Account Security Data
The Federal and Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced today a settlement with Twitter, Inc. (“Twitter”) in which Twitter agreed to pay $150 million for its alleged misuse of user account security data, specifically email addresses and phone numbers, for advertising purposes. The government alleged that the misuse of account data was in violation of a 2011…
Read MoreArbitration vs. Litigation: Which is Better for a SaaS Contract?
Updated June 12, 2024 I was recently asked by a client whether arbitration or litigation in a SaaS contract was better. The issue had been raised by an attorney on the other side of the SaaS contract negotiation, who had not only tried to persuade my client to revise the specific clause in that case,…
Read MoreIntroduction to Silicon Valley Software Law Blog
Introductory Digital Health Contracts Workshop for Lawyers
Dates: June 6, 2022 Time: 9:00 a.m. Price: $699 Register Are you a lawyer who would like to expand your practice niche into the digital health area? Would you like to know the basics about negotiating and drafting these types of agreements? Join Digital Health Lawyer Kristie Prinz in an introductory digital health contracts…
Read MoreIntroduction to Software Contracts Workshop for Lawyers
Date: May 21, 2022 Time: 9:00 a.m. PST Price: $699 Register Are you a lawyer who would like to expand your practice niche into the software transactions area? Would you like to know the basics about negotiating and drafting these types of agreements? Join Silicon Valley Lawyer Kristie Prinz in an introductory software transactions…
Read MoreIntro to Digital Health Contracts for Non-Lawyers
Date: June 18, 2022 Time: 9:00 a.m. PST Price $699 Register How are digital health contracts unique from other business contracts? What do you need to know to negotiate them? Silicon Valley Digital Health Lawyer Kristie Prinz will be teaching an introductory workshop on digital health contracts negotiation for nonlawyers on June 18, 2022 at…
Read MoreIntro to Software Contracts for Non-Lawyers
Date: May 23, 2022 Time: 9 a.m. PST Price: $699 Register How are software contracts unique from other business contracts? What do you need to know to negotiate them? Silicon Valley Lawyer Kristie Prinz will be teaching an introductory workshop on software contracts negotiation for nonlawyers. The virtual workshop will be interactive and…
Read MoreIntroduction to Negotiating and Drafting SaaS Contracts
Date: June 17, 2022 Time: 10 a.m. PST Price: $175.00 Register How are SaaS agreements unique from other technology contracts? What do you need to know to negotiate and draft them? Silicon Valley SaaS lawyer Kristie Prinz will present an introductory webinar on “Introduction to Negotiating & Drafting SaaS Contracts,” on June 17th at 10…
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