Legal Considerations for Web3 Companies

Legal Considerations for Web3 Companies and Products

Web3.0 (“Web3”) is being touted as the ‘next big thing’ in software, services, and everyday life. From cryptocurrency, to non-fungible tokens (NFT), to development in the ‘metaverse’ – Blockchain based Web3 is primed to be the foundations of how we interact with technology in the near future.
This post will give you a high level overview of some of the legal considerations that Web3 companies must think about.

The Anatomy of a Technology Partnership Agreement

Thanks to more usable technology like application programming interface (API) connections, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) businesses often partner with other SaaS businesses for technology partnerships through an integration. Just like any other engagement, though, you should have an agreement that outlines the parameters of the integration. This post will give you a high level overview of what goes into a Technology Integration Agreement.

The Anatomy of a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) Agreement Package

Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) solutions offer a cloud-hosted platform for software developers to develop, deploy, and manage applications – so that they don’t have to worry about setting up, managing, maintaining, and monitoring cloud instances. Popular PaaS solutions include products from Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Aptible, and Heroku. A standard PaaS Agreement Package generally consists of three parts: Cloud Services Agreement, Service Level Agreement, and an Acceptable Use Policy. This post will give you a high level overview of what goes into a PaaS Agreement Package.

The Anatomy of a Data Processing Agreement (DPA)

If your SaaS company is doing business with Enterprise companies or handling personal data in general, you’ll likely be required by your Enterprise customers to sign a Data Processing Agreement in addition to your standard Terms of Service/Software as a Service Agreement. This post will give you a high level overview of a Data Processing Agreement.

The Anatomy of a Referral Partner Agreement

Building a referral (or partner) program is a method often employed by Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) companies to grow, without the need to hire tons of sales representatives. Just like any other business arrangement, there should be an appropriate written agreement in place between your business and the referral partner outlining how the arrangement will work with provisions to protect your business. If your SaaS company is planning to build out a referral program – this post will give you a high level overview of what should be in a referral program agreement.

The Anatomy of a Software Value-Added Reseller (VAR) Agreement

A common use-case for Software businesses today is utilization of a value-added reseller (VAR). This type of arrangement is when a VAR bundles your software in or with other products or components and resells the resulting, integrated product to end-users under their brand name. A VAR doesn’t use your standard sales agreement, though. You should have a very specific Value-Added Reseller agreement with the appropriate provisions to protect your business, your product, and liability. This post will give you a high level overview of the anatomy of a Software Value-Added-Reseller Agreement.

6 Things Your Customers will Negotiate in Your Software Sales Agreement

If you’re selling software to larger organizations, chances are the legal department needs to get involved to negotiate some specific provisions in your software license or SaaS agreement (depending on what kind of software you sell). The key here is to make sure you are protected, while still coming to an amicable agreement with your customer. This post will give you a high level overview of 6 key provisions that your customers are likely to negotiate with you on.