{
  "version": "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1.1",
  "title": "Awad Law P.C. — Blog & Lyceum",
  "home_page_url": "https://awad.esq",
  "feed_url": "https://awad.esq/feed.json",
  "description": "IP, AI compliance, algorithm litigation, datacenter and energy regulation, securities and quant trading law, and web3 — by a former CTO who passed the bar.",
  "language": "en-US",
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "David Awad",
      "url": "https://davidaw.ad"
    }
  ],
  "icon": "https://awad.esq/favicon-512.png",
  "favicon": "https://awad.esq/favicon-256.png",
  "items": [
    {
      "id": "https://awad.esq/equality-of-cognitive-access/",
      "url": "https://awad.esq/equality-of-cognitive-access/",
      "title": "Restricting Intelligence Is a Fourteenth Amendment Problem",
      "content_text": "When the government regulates AI, it does not regulate it equally. Large institutions, federal agencies, and sophisticated users retain access to frontier models. Ordinary citizens, small firms, and disabled users for whom AI is a cognitive prosthesis do not. That gap is not a regulatory…",
      "summary": "When the government regulates AI, it does not regulate it equally. Large institutions, federal agencies, and sophisticated users retain access to frontier…",
      "date_published": "2026-06-22T00:00:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "ai-regulation",
        "constitutional-law",
        "fourteenth-amendment",
        "privileges-or-immunities",
        "equal-protection",
        "ai-regulation",
        "disability-rights"
      ],
      "authors": [
        {
          "name": "David Awad",
          "url": "https://davidaw.ad"
        }
      ],
      "image": "https://awad.esq/og/equality-of-cognitive-access.png"
    },
    {
      "id": "https://awad.esq/lyceum/on-advising-against-counsel",
      "url": "https://awad.esq/lyceum/on-advising-against-counsel",
      "title": "On advising against counsel — Dialogue I",
      "content_text": "A founder arrives to retain counsel and prepare a raise. The counsel tells him he needs neither — and argues himself out of the fee.",
      "summary": "A founder arrives to retain counsel and prepare a raise. The counsel tells him he needs neither — and argues himself out of the fee.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-22T00:00:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "Lyceum"
      ],
      "authors": [
        {
          "name": "David Awad",
          "url": "https://davidaw.ad"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://awad.esq/lyceum/on-technical-diligence",
      "url": "https://awad.esq/lyceum/on-technical-diligence",
      "title": "On technical diligence — Dialogue IV",
      "content_text": "A venture investor is about to buy into a SaaS company he has never logged into. The counsel asks for one hour with the product.",
      "summary": "A venture investor is about to buy into a SaaS company he has never logged into. The counsel asks for one hour with the product.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-22T00:00:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "Lyceum"
      ],
      "authors": [
        {
          "name": "David Awad",
          "url": "https://davidaw.ad"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://awad.esq/lyceum/on-walking-away",
      "url": "https://awad.esq/lyceum/on-walking-away",
      "title": "On walking away — Dialogue III",
      "content_text": "A founder describes a term sheet she ought not to sign. The counsel agrees, and explains why agreement is not enough.",
      "summary": "A founder describes a term sheet she ought not to sign. The counsel agrees, and explains why agreement is not enough.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-21T00:00:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "Lyceum"
      ],
      "authors": [
        {
          "name": "David Awad",
          "url": "https://davidaw.ad"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://awad.esq/lyceum/on-the-mark-and-the-domain",
      "url": "https://awad.esq/lyceum/on-the-mark-and-the-domain",
      "title": "On the mark and the domain — Dialogue V",
      "content_text": "A founder picks a brand, then discovers another company holds the .com. The counsel offers an older question about names.",
      "summary": "A founder picks a brand, then discovers another company holds the .com. The counsel offers an older question about names.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-21T00:00:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "Lyceum"
      ],
      "authors": [
        {
          "name": "David Awad",
          "url": "https://davidaw.ad"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://awad.esq/lyceum/on-the-backtest-and-the-prospectus",
      "url": "https://awad.esq/lyceum/on-the-backtest-and-the-prospectus",
      "title": "On the backtest and the prospectus — Dialogue VI",
      "content_text": "A trader asks counsel whether his strategy can be marketed to investors. The counsel asks whether what he knows can be taught.",
      "summary": "A trader asks counsel whether his strategy can be marketed to investors. The counsel asks whether what he knows can be taught.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-21T00:00:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "Lyceum"
      ],
      "authors": [
        {
          "name": "David Awad",
          "url": "https://davidaw.ad"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://awad.esq/lyceum/on-whether-to-sign",
      "url": "https://awad.esq/lyceum/on-whether-to-sign",
      "title": "On whether to sign — Dialogue II",
      "content_text": "A founder receives a term sheet. The counsel asks what one signs when one signs a SAFE — and what one ought to read first.",
      "summary": "A founder receives a term sheet. The counsel asks what one signs when one signs a SAFE — and what one ought to read first.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-20T00:00:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "Lyceum"
      ],
      "authors": [
        {
          "name": "David Awad",
          "url": "https://davidaw.ad"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://awad.esq/ada-website-accessibility-lawsuit-defense/",
      "url": "https://awad.esq/ada-website-accessibility-lawsuit-defense/",
      "title": "The ADA Website Lawsuit Industry Is a Shakedown and I'm sick of it.",
      "content_text": "Serial plaintiffs are filing ADA Title III website accessibility lawsuits in bulk against small businesses and startups, demanding quick settlements and moving on. These cases are ridiculous. Here's what's actually happening and what to do when one lands in your inbox.",
      "summary": "Serial plaintiffs are filing ADA Title III website accessibility lawsuits in bulk against small businesses and startups, demanding quick settlements and…",
      "date_published": "2026-05-02T00:00:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "technology-litigation",
        "ada",
        "website-accessibility",
        "litigation",
        "small-business",
        "startup",
        "title-iii"
      ],
      "authors": [
        {
          "name": "David Awad",
          "url": "https://davidaw.ad"
        }
      ],
      "image": "https://awad.esq/og/ada-website-accessibility-lawsuit-defense.png"
    },
    {
      "id": "https://awad.esq/arizona-deepfake-law-hb2394/",
      "url": "https://awad.esq/arizona-deepfake-law-hb2394/",
      "title": "Arizona Gave Every Citizen a Lawsuit Against Deepfakers. Let's Talk About That.",
      "content_text": "Arizona HB 2394 creates a civil cause of action for any person whose likeness is deepfaked without consent — not just political candidates. If you're in the synthetic media business, this law creates real litigation risk.",
      "summary": "Arizona HB 2394 creates a civil cause of action for any person whose likeness is deepfaked without consent — not just political candidates. If you're in the…",
      "date_published": "2025-09-05T00:00:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "ai-regulation",
        "arizona",
        "deepfakes",
        "synthetic-media",
        "right-of-publicity",
        "election-law"
      ],
      "authors": [
        {
          "name": "David Awad",
          "url": "https://davidaw.ad"
        }
      ],
      "image": "https://awad.esq/og/arizona-deepfake-law-hb2394.png"
    },
    {
      "id": "https://awad.esq/florida-digital-bill-of-rights-automated-decisions/",
      "url": "https://awad.esq/florida-digital-bill-of-rights-automated-decisions/",
      "title": "Florida's Digital Bill of Rights Has an Automated Decision-Making Provision and Most People Missed It",
      "content_text": "Florida SB 262 is known as a children's data privacy law. Less covered is that it gives Florida consumers the right to opt out of profiling for decisions with legal or significant effects. Here's what that means in practice.",
      "summary": "Florida SB 262 is known as a children's data privacy law. Less covered is that it gives Florida consumers the right to opt out of profiling for decisions with…",
      "date_published": "2025-08-01T00:00:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "ai-regulation",
        "florida",
        "privacy",
        "automated-decision-making",
        "consumer-rights",
        "data-privacy"
      ],
      "authors": [
        {
          "name": "David Awad",
          "url": "https://davidaw.ad"
        }
      ],
      "image": "https://awad.esq/og/florida-digital-bill-of-rights-automated-decisions.png"
    },
    {
      "id": "https://awad.esq/illinois-wopra-ai-therapy/",
      "url": "https://awad.esq/illinois-wopra-ai-therapy/",
      "title": "Illinois Said AI Chatbots Can't Practice Therapy. They're Right.",
      "content_text": "The Wellness and Oversight for Psychological Resources Act prohibits unregulated AI systems from providing therapy or psychotherapy services in Illinois. If you're building mental health AI, this is your compliance briefing.",
      "summary": "The Wellness and Oversight for Psychological Resources Act prohibits unregulated AI systems from providing therapy or psychotherapy services in Illinois. If…",
      "date_published": "2025-06-20T00:00:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "ai-regulation",
        "illinois",
        "mental-health",
        "ai-regulation",
        "healthcare",
        "digital-health"
      ],
      "authors": [
        {
          "name": "David Awad",
          "url": "https://davidaw.ad"
        }
      ],
      "image": "https://awad.esq/og/illinois-wopra-ai-therapy.png"
    },
    {
      "id": "https://awad.esq/new-jersey-disparate-impact-ai-njac-13-16/",
      "url": "https://awad.esq/new-jersey-disparate-impact-ai-njac-13-16/",
      "title": "New Jersey Just Made Your AI Hiring Tool a Civil Rights Liability",
      "content_text": "N.J.A.C. 13:16 — New Jersey's new disparate impact rules — expressly covers automated decision systems. If your AI produces disparate outcomes by protected class in employment, housing, or public accommodations, you're potentially on the hook under NJLAD. No discriminatory intent required.",
      "summary": "N.J.A.C. 13:16 — New Jersey's new disparate impact rules — expressly covers automated decision systems. If your AI produces disparate outcomes by protected…",
      "date_published": "2025-05-16T00:00:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "ai-regulation",
        "new-jersey",
        "employment-law",
        "disparate-impact",
        "automated-decision-systems",
        "civil-rights"
      ],
      "authors": [
        {
          "name": "David Awad",
          "url": "https://davidaw.ad"
        }
      ],
      "image": "https://awad.esq/og/new-jersey-disparate-impact-ai-njac-13-16.png"
    },
    {
      "id": "https://awad.esq/kansas-deepseek-ban-hb2313/",
      "url": "https://awad.esq/kansas-deepseek-ban-hb2313/",
      "title": "Kansas Banned DeepSeek on State Devices. Here's the Law and Why It Matters.",
      "content_text": "Kansas HB 2313 prohibits state employees from using AI platforms from foreign adversary nations on state-owned devices and networks. It also bans Chinese genetic sequencers in state-funded medical facilities. This is the state-level version of what the federal government has been doing to TikTok.",
      "summary": "Kansas HB 2313 prohibits state employees from using AI platforms from foreign adversary nations on state-owned devices and networks. It also bans Chinese…",
      "date_published": "2025-04-11T00:00:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "ai-regulation",
        "kansas",
        "deepseek",
        "national-security",
        "government-ai",
        "foreign-adversary"
      ],
      "authors": [
        {
          "name": "David Awad",
          "url": "https://davidaw.ad"
        }
      ],
      "image": "https://awad.esq/og/kansas-deepseek-ban-hb2313.png"
    },
    {
      "id": "https://awad.esq/montana-right-to-compute-act/",
      "url": "https://awad.esq/montana-right-to-compute-act/",
      "title": "Montana Passed a \"Right to Compute\" Law and I Am Delighted",
      "content_text": "SB 212 declares that Montanans have a constitutional right to own and use computational resources. It's a fascinating use of state constitutional property rights doctrine to preempt AI regulation — and it might actually work.",
      "summary": "SB 212 declares that Montanans have a constitutional right to own and use computational resources. It's a fascinating use of state constitutional property…",
      "date_published": "2025-03-14T00:00:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "ai-regulation",
        "montana",
        "ai-regulation",
        "right-to-compute",
        "constitutional-law",
        "infrastructure"
      ],
      "authors": [
        {
          "name": "David Awad",
          "url": "https://davidaw.ad"
        }
      ],
      "image": "https://awad.esq/og/montana-right-to-compute-act.png"
    },
    {
      "id": "https://awad.esq/virginia-ai-criminal-justice-hb1642/",
      "url": "https://awad.esq/virginia-ai-criminal-justice-hb1642/",
      "title": "Virginia Just Told the Criminal Justice AI Industry to Sit Down",
      "content_text": "Virginia HB 1642 requires a human decision-maker for every criminal justice determination. AI can recommend; it cannot decide. The implications for recidivism scoring and risk assessment tools are significant.",
      "summary": "Virginia HB 1642 requires a human decision-maker for every criminal justice determination. AI can recommend; it cannot decide. The implications for recidivism…",
      "date_published": "2025-02-07T00:00:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "ai-regulation",
        "virginia",
        "criminal-justice",
        "ai-regulation",
        "risk-assessment",
        "human-oversight"
      ],
      "authors": [
        {
          "name": "David Awad",
          "url": "https://davidaw.ad"
        }
      ],
      "image": "https://awad.esq/og/virginia-ai-criminal-justice-hb1642.png"
    },
    {
      "id": "https://awad.esq/maryland-ai-governance-act-2024/",
      "url": "https://awad.esq/maryland-ai-governance-act-2024/",
      "title": "Maryland Made Its Own Government Audit Itself for AI — Here's What That Looks Like",
      "content_text": "The Maryland AI Governance Act of 2024 is less about regulating private companies and more about making state government inventory and assess every AI system it uses. That's actually interesting.",
      "summary": "The Maryland AI Governance Act of 2024 is less about regulating private companies and more about making state government inventory and assess every AI system…",
      "date_published": "2025-01-10T00:00:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "ai-regulation",
        "maryland",
        "ai-governance",
        "government-ai",
        "procurement",
        "ai-policy"
      ],
      "authors": [
        {
          "name": "David Awad",
          "url": "https://davidaw.ad"
        }
      ],
      "image": "https://awad.esq/og/maryland-ai-governance-act-2024.png"
    },
    {
      "id": "https://awad.esq/tennessee-elvis-act/",
      "url": "https://awad.esq/tennessee-elvis-act/",
      "title": "The ELVIS Act Isn't Just for Musicians",
      "content_text": "Tennessee's Ensuring Likeness, Voice, and Image Security Act created property rights in AI-cloned voices and likenesses. If you're building voice AI products, this law applies to you.",
      "summary": "Tennessee's Ensuring Likeness, Voice, and Image Security Act created property rights in AI-cloned voices and likenesses. If you're building voice AI products,…",
      "date_published": "2024-12-20T00:00:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "ai-regulation",
        "tennessee",
        "ai-regulation",
        "voice-cloning",
        "right-of-publicity",
        "intellectual-property"
      ],
      "authors": [
        {
          "name": "David Awad",
          "url": "https://davidaw.ad"
        }
      ],
      "image": "https://awad.esq/og/tennessee-elvis-act.png"
    },
    {
      "id": "https://awad.esq/colorado-ai-act-sb-24-205/",
      "url": "https://awad.esq/colorado-ai-act-sb-24-205/",
      "title": "Colorado's AI Act Is the Most Consequential State Law You're Not Thinking About",
      "content_text": "SB 24-205 drops February 1, 2026. If you build or deploy AI that makes consequential decisions affecting Colorado residents, you have compliance obligations that start now — not then.",
      "summary": "SB 24-205 drops February 1, 2026. If you build or deploy AI that makes consequential decisions affecting Colorado residents, you have compliance obligations…",
      "date_published": "2024-11-15T00:00:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "ai-regulation",
        "colorado",
        "ai-regulation",
        "compliance",
        "high-risk-ai",
        "automated-decision-making"
      ],
      "authors": [
        {
          "name": "David Awad",
          "url": "https://davidaw.ad"
        }
      ],
      "image": "https://awad.esq/og/colorado-ai-act-sb-24-205.png"
    },
    {
      "id": "https://awad.esq/understanding-sde/",
      "url": "https://awad.esq/understanding-sde/",
      "title": "Understanding Seller Discretionary Earnings",
      "content_text": "While it may seem intuitive, SDE is a complex calculation that requires a deep understanding of a business and its financials.",
      "summary": "While it may seem intuitive, SDE is a complex calculation that requires a deep understanding of a business and its financials.",
      "date_published": "2023-07-26T00:00:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "documentation",
        "finance",
        "private-equity",
        "due-diligence"
      ],
      "authors": [
        {
          "name": "David Awad",
          "url": "https://davidaw.ad"
        }
      ],
      "image": "https://awad.esq/og/understanding-sde.png"
    },
    {
      "id": "https://awad.esq/useful-resources-to-create-websites/",
      "url": "https://awad.esq/useful-resources-to-create-websites/",
      "title": "Crucial items for technical due diligence",
      "content_text": "Every technology company you invest in will have three crucial elements of the product to understand.",
      "summary": "Every technology company you invest in will have three crucial elements of the product to understand.",
      "date_published": "2023-01-09T00:00:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "front-end",
        "tools",
        "resources"
      ],
      "authors": [
        {
          "name": "David Awad",
          "url": "https://davidaw.ad"
        }
      ],
      "image": "https://awad.esq/og/useful-resources-to-create-websites.png"
    }
  ]
}