These days, every business is faced with continually delivering products and services in faster, better and cheaper ways. Technology, particularly information technology, often is the key to doing so.

Meanwhile, an increasing portion of the value of any business is more and more likely to be its intangible assets, such as brands, trade secrets, know-how, patents, websites, networks, information systems and, even, customer relationships.

Similarly, technology now drives many major sales, purchases, alliances, ventures and investments. And the growing use of email and the Internet in the workplace presents unique employment issues.

How does this affect your business? The key takeaway is that every business manager should understand the basic legal issues encountered as a result of these long-term trends.

If you think you've got everything covered, think again. The world is changing quickly and the law and legal interpretations are following suit.

The short articles below provide a quick assessment and overview about the most common intellectual property, information technology, electronic commerce and venture and alliance legal issues for businesses. Click on a legal checklist to learn more.

• Legal Checklist for Intellectual Property
• Legal Checklist for Information Technology
• Legal Checklist for Electronic Commerce
• Legal Checklist for Technology Ventures and Alliances

If you go through each of these legal checklists, you can rest a little easier, knowing that you understand the key legal issues that all business owners should be thinking about.

The bottomline? Intellectual property and technology are likely to continue to grow in importance and complexity for business managers. Don't get caught off guard.

Jeremy Gibson is a principal at Jeremy A. Gibson & Associates, P.C. a Chicago-area law firm that provides business law services for companies, entrepreneurs, executives and families. To get in touch with Jeremy Gibson, call 877 4JAGLAW or visit www.jagibsonlaw.com.