In the modern age, almost every business has a website. In fact, it has become commonplace. But are you aware of the legalities behind your web design? If not, then now is the time to educate yourself and make sure you are protected.
No matter what kind of website you have – whether it is a personal blog or a big business – everyone is subject to the law. As the web grows, laws will change and adjustments will need to be made. There are a select few laws that have been firmly established. Makes sure you abide by these six rules or suffer the potential consequences.
1. False Advertising: When someone comes, to your site what do they see? Are there a bunch of random advertisements on the side you know nothing about? If that’s the case, you need to check into those advertisements. By having them on your site you are liable for what they may contain on their site. Don’t lead people to a site where you wouldn’t want to go.
2. Invasion Of Privacy: By publicly exposing a fact or statement that was supposed to remain private, you are invading someone’s privacy. It is especially damaging if your statement is false or taken out of context. Another form of invasion of privacy is if you decide to use someone’s picture on the web without their permission and it’s utilized for commercial use.
3. Trademark Infringement: If you decide to use a word, slogan or image, make sure it is not already being used by someone else. The reason being is that the other website is using that word, slogan, image, etc. to represent them; by taking that, you are committing trademark infringement.
4. Defamation: This is very similar to invasion of privacy. When someone publishes information that is false and it damages the good standing of that person or business, then you have committed defamation. You have to be very careful with this, as it can be very easy to commit defamation. A simple joke, inference, or misinterpretation can lead to a whole mess of trouble. Be wary if your business has a public outlet to communicate with people – like a forum or community meeting. You are responsible for what is said there too.
5. Trade Dress Infringement: If you have a product or are about to make a product, be careful about your design. Trade dress infringement means that someone has copied the design of the packing or presentation of a product. Avoid this at all costs.
6. Copyright Infringement: We saved the best for last. Copyright infringement is the law most people have heard about, but few people actually know what it is. Under the U.S. Copyright Act, you are given 5 rights as a copyright holder.
- The right to reproduce your copyrighted work.
- The right to prepare derivative works based upon the work.
- The right to distribute copies of the work to the public.
- The right to perform the copyrighted work publicly.
- The right to display the copyrighted work publicly.
Every time someone creates work that is their own, it is automatically under copyright. This counts for online and offline material.
Copyright infringement can be done very easily. Simply by using a picture without giving proper credit, you are breaking the law. To avoid this trouble, it is best to understand creative commons. There are many laws surrounding creative commons, but it is basically a set of rules that stipulate how you can share the work of others. It varies depending on your intentions for the pictures whether they will be used for commercial or non-commercial use.
By understanding these six laws you take the forward action in order to keep your website safe. Most people don’t intentionally break these laws, but it does happen very often. Protect yourself and protect your business by knowing these laws. Don’t let legalities stand in the way between you and a great website design.
