I have known Mark Voigtmann for quite some time. In fact, I was in attendance at at least two of the meetings he talks about in his book, The Automation Legal Reference: a guide to legal risk in the automation, robotics and process industries. Mark has been the attorney CSIA and other automation companies turn to when they get into what he calls "business messes" for years, and he clearly understands manufacturing, integration and automation issues as well as any lawyer I've ever met.
I have been, over my oddly checkered career, a project manager for software development, hardware design, project leader on several control system integration projects, and there have been quite a few times when I have wished for a simple, plain English guide to the legalities of a given situation-- without, of course, finding one. I have been "party of the first parted" too many times but as Voigtmann points out in his book, you don't have to know that you need a lawyer, you do. The important point is when do you call your lawyer and what do you say.
Voigtmann's book is absolutely required reading for anybody whose role in the automation industries, whether vendor, integrator, engineer or end user is higher than a screwdriver monkey. That probably means YOU.
So go immediately to ISA or Amazon and buy this amazing book. Why is it amazing? Because there is not a single footnote or "whereas" or any other legal jargon in it.
Way to go, Mark!
