Navigating the Regulatory and Contractual Challenges of Cloud Computing
Cloud computing appears set to change many of the ways that companies and governments do computing. It combines local software and hardware cases across borders. Cloud computing thus poses new challenges for regulation and contracting practices in the IT area, which are important for you and your clients to understand. Network with colleagues and learn in this session about: 

• The basics of Cloud computing
• Companies' and governments' use of Cloud services
• Regulatory challenges, including data privacy and retention, law enforcement and IP
• Global implications and jurisdictional conflicts
• Business models and approaches that enhance user flexibility and control

Speaker: Ronald Zink, Associate General Counsel, Microsoft
Based in Paris, Mr. Zink is responsible for Microsoft's European policy and government affairs team. This team leads substantive and strategic positions on policy issues in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, including intellectual property. Prior to joining Microsoft in 1995, Mr. Zink worked in private practice advising companies of all sizes, ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 corporations, on the protection, licensing and litigation of intellectual property rights relative to their businesses. Mr. Zink is a U.S. registered patent attorney and an inventor on several patent applications. He is active in numerous groups focused on technology policy, author of numerous papers on innovation and frequently speaks on technology-related topics.  

Moderator: Steven De Schrijver, Lorenz, Brussels
Mr. De Schrijver heads the Lorenz Corporate/Mergers and Acquisitions and IT and New Media Departments. Before joining Lorenz, Mr. De Schrijver worked 15 years at Van Bael & Bellis where he was instrumental in building the Belgian business law practice and became a partner in 2002.
Mr. De Schrijver’s practice concentrates on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate restructuring and finance, venture capital, complex commercial agreements and new technologies (such as data protection, e-commerce, software licensing, website development and hosting, technology transfer, digital signature, IT-outsourcing).

Over the last few years, Mr. De Schrijver has conducted and supervised several pan-European data protection law projects and negotiated numerous software license agreements for large multinational companies.

Mr. De Schrijver is an active member of the ITechLaw Association, and serves as the Local Representative for Belgium.