IGNORANCE OF LAW IS NO EXCUSE
The Missing Link
Web or Internet Legal Compliance is the most ignored area of internet and websites. The company policy on legal compliance needs to communicate with all visitors and/or consumers of the website and plays an important role in promoting transparency and accountability of the owner of the site. It is a world wide web (www) published media and has to be developed in a manner that it is professional, accurate, precise and easily understood. Businesses or individuals in violation or not-in-compliance risk being penalized with heavy fines, suspension or closure of business or even imprisonment depending the severity, motive, degree of ignorance and the level of deliberation. Usually the regulating agency of the government makes the violators an example for others to learn and deter from committing similar acts and/or omissions. It is not something to be taken lightly or casually.
Web or Internet Legal Compliance is applicable to businesses, individuals, web-marketers, bloggers, social networkers, web-designers and all professionals related to placing the content for publishing. They need to understand and comply with the local laws, regulations and requirements for lawfully doing any business or activity on the internet. Main areas of application include:
- User Agreement
- Terms of Use
- Privacy Policy
- Ethics Policy
- Purchase Agreement
- Disclosures and Disclaimers
- Affiliate Agreement
- Income claims
- Results claims
- Healthcare claims
- Public claims
- Saas Providers
- Other web related areas
Do-it-Right | How to
- Engagement of knowledgeable and licensed professionals
- Industry experts’ advice in the field of business or Individual activity
- Risk Assessment by professionals for acts and/or omissions
- Adequate liability insurance and coverage
- Prevention and avoidance policy
- Best practices, procedures and training policy
- Continuing education and awareness to protect from frivolous litigation
- Privacy policy that is clear, concise, easy-to-read and understand
- Disclaimer language with clear and easy-to-read text
- Collected data location compliance on how it’s used and shared
- Behavioral demographic advertising with prior notice, opt out mechanism with full disclosure
- Elimination of undisclosed use of personal information collected
- Restore Online Shopper’s Confidence Act (ROSCA) compliance about billing data pass
- ROSCA’s compliance on sites with continuity income for automatic billing
- Communications Decency Act (CDA) Sec 230 compliance on defamatory blog posts
USA Regulatory Agencies and Resources
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- FTC for Business
- FTC for E-commerce
- Copyright Information
- Small Business Administration
- US Patent and Trademark Office
Business-By-Law Guides
BCP Business Center- Business person's Guide to Federal Warranty Law
- Accentuate the Positive when using Negative Option Marketing
- Childrens’ Online Privacy Protection Rule
- Email Marketers must honor Unsubscribe claims
- Business Guide Mail and Telephone-order Merchandise Rule
- Dietary Supplements Advertising Guide industry
- Advertising and Marketing Internet Rules
- Advertising FAQs Guide Small Business
- Dot-com Disclosures information about Online Advertising
- Big Print Little Print Deal
- Red Flag Bogus Weight-loss Claims
- FTC’s Revised Endorsement Guides
- Children Claims
- Declaring War on Scareware
- Disclosing the Details of the Deal
- Electronic Commerce Guide for Businesses Selling Internationally
- FTC CAN-SPAM Act Business Compliance Guide
- M-Bracing M-Commerce (Mobile)
- Privacy Policies Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say
- Protecting Kids Online The COPPA on the Beat
- Reflections on Connections FTC’s Revised Endorsement Guides
- Signed Sealed and Delivered
- FTC’s Revised Endorsement Guides in New Social Marketing
- Taking the Bait Out of Rebates
- The Company You Keep
- When Consumers Complain
- When You Wish Upon a Star Celebrity Endorsements
- U.S. SAFE WEB Act
- U.S. Fair Packaging and Labeling Act
Amerinde Disclosure and Disclaimer
This article is provided for educational and informative purposes only. This information does not constitute legal advice, and should not be construed as such.
