|
Internet
Business Law and Legal Issues
A
business is a business and must always follow local and state
laws whether it is Internet based are located somewhere on main
street USA. I am not a lawyer and am not well versed in the requirements
for all legal situations. There are very people alive that can
say that they are well versed in every situation, even lawyers.
One quotation that has stuck with me all of my life came from
my district manager when I was managing the chain store so Many
years ago. He said "It is not what you know that is important,
It's knowing where to find the information when you need it."
That is an important key to being successful no matter what you
do in life. The Internet is a worldwide library of information
and with a few clicks of the mouse button and asking the right
questions you can find answers to any legal issue that might arise.
You can even get all the information that is available compiled
into software packages.
If you are starting a business it is important that you start
at the beginning preparing it for success. Most government agencies
and legal institutions do not concern themselves with the weekend
home business person too much. But once you start making money
someone is going to be there with hands outstretched to try and
get a piece of your pie. Do not make the mistake of waiting until
then to know how to keep them out of your pockets. Prepare for
these obstacles from the start and you will avoid the pocket diggers.
One great resource to review and keep on hand is the Quicken Legal
Business Pro. It comes with regular updates free of charge and
will arm you with more information than any lawyer could ever
have in his head. This is not to say though if a legal issue were
to arise. you should not seek out an experienced lawyer They have
the experience to implement these tools I am arming you with and
without that experience you could wind up in jail if a serious
issue were to arise. This information will hopefully show you
paths to avoid the need for a lawyer
Incorporating
You Business
Once
you have the business operating and making some profit you may
want to look at getting it Incorporated. To do this requires a
lot of planning in advance and each state will have different
requirements. At this point it would be advisable to contact one
of the Business or Corporate Lawyers in your state.
Signing
Contracts
When
operating a business on the Internet you will be required to sign
multiple contracts if you use affiliates are sell advertising
space on your site. Most of these will only be done by what is
called an electronic signature. This is as simple as clicking
a button that reads AGREE but is as legally binding
as any written contract. Once you do this you are bound by whatever
stipulations that contract requires. Most legitimate sources of
affiliation just require this to protect themselves in the event
they can not fully comply with what they promise you. You should
read carefully all of the contract before deciding to click AGREE
and make a personal copy of any that you agree to for future reference.
Trademarks
Many
companys use illegal ways to get you are themselves customers
on the Internet. One old trick in the book from the beginning
where companys were buying up special names across the Internet
of major corporations that had not created a web site. That is
when the government passed the 1999 Anti-Cybersquatting Law. It
restricts people from stealing other peoples company name. Before
buying your domain name be sure to do some research to make sure
it is not legally protected by trademark or other intellectual
property rights. A good place to do this is at http://register.com.
SPAM
Unsolicited E-mail
SPAM
is an Internet term referring to unsolicited e-mail There have
been some laws passed regarding the use of e-mail. I have chosen
not to even use e-mail as a form of advertising other than to
customers I have signed up to a special newsletter. I never solicit
new customers using this method. It produces very few result to
day because so many people have abused it. If you this is not
clear then just ask yourself how many junk mails do you get past
the first line of reading then think where advertising money will
be going. If you do choose to do advertising this way you should
not use these peoples services that have sent you junk mail. Many
of them will say their e-mail list will help you and that none
of the lists are unsolicited. BE CAREFUL and research any company
you plan to use as to the source of their e-mail lists and the
target audience. You are ultimately responsible for any harm are
retaliations due to your e-mails that get sent.
Privacy
Statement
When
creating your Internet site you should have a Privacy Statement
page that states what your plans are with information that you
gather from your customers. You may want to do as we do and state
that
|
