At Cube Camp-III: the program of Cube Incubation (Teknopark İstanbul) for deep-tech entrepreneurs: Vircon Legal co-founder Erdem Mümtaz Hacıpaşaoğlu delivered a session on law for entrepreneurs in September 2019.
Deep tech is a legal problem before it is a commercial one
Hardware and advanced-technology ventures carry constraints software companies never meet. The core asset is usually a patent application whose filing date fixes the company’s position, and public disclosure at a demo day before filing can destroy novelty. Where the technology touches a standard, licensing moves into SEP territory and FRAND terms, which is a negotiation with rules of its own.
Two further constraints tend to surprise founders. Advanced sensors, encryption and materials can fall under dual-use export control, so a customer in the wrong country is a compliance question rather than a sales one, and sanctions screening becomes routine. Meanwhile technopark exemptions and R&D incentives depend on where the work is actually performed. See Intellectual Property.
