11.01.2007
Space 2.0 lawyers
By now everyone knows the difference between old space and newspace, or, shall we say, Space 1.0 and Space 2.0."Space 1.0' was astronauts, rocket ships and billion-dollar government projects. 'Space 2.0' is venture-backed entrepreneurs starting new companies with new technologies."
That's the clarification from Burke Fort, director of the Eighth Continent Project, the initiative launched this summer and headquartered in Colorado which bills itself as "the world's most comprehensive program to integrate space technology and resources into the global economy."
Good for Colorado, too. (I thought it was New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson but it was in fact Colorado Governor Bill Ritter to whom we may attribute the quote, "For the first time, government, industry and academia have joined forces with entrepreneurs and venture capitalists to forge the next frontier in commercializing space technology and resources." (Where is his state's spaceport?)
Space 2.0 is about business, and naturally all kinds of lawyers and firms are prepared -- or will be -- to offer key services and get in the Space 2.0 game. An early adapter in the Space 2.0 law arena, Townsend and Townsend and Crew has announced it is a founding sponsor of Eighth Continent which means the law firm has signed on to "provide both funding sponsorship and legal services" to the project.
Interestingly, Townsend doesn't have a space law or aerospace group. But they are a top patent and trademark firm. And the firm covers many practice areas and specialties including technology transactions that are sure to come in handy. Which tells you something about the nature of space business law practice at 21st century firms.
Yes, like Web 2.0, everyone can get in on Space 2.0.
Join the 2.0 club.
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Speaking of space law action in Colorado, a reminder about a CLE offering: the Colorado Bar Association's 6-credit CLE program on Aviation and Space Law takes place Nov. 15 in Denver (with video replays Dec. 7 in Colorado Springs, etc.) Of course, we know what happens when air law and space law share a seminar -- typically air gets most of the attention. As I noted, among the panels at this CLE on air crashes, aviation transactions, aviation environmental issues, there is one panel covering, "What's New in Space Law," presented by Rachel A. Yates, who can handle it all -- she is both a 1.0 and 2.0 space lawyer.
