Domain Name Lawyers

Offers experienced attorneys who understand Internet law and technological issues. Make Domain Name Lawyers part of your Internet team.

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Domain Name Lawyers

700 - 12th Street, NW Suite 700
Washington, D.C. 20005-3945

Internet Business risk

Internet Business Risks

Domain Name Lawyers probably doesn't need to tell you that what appears on the Internet is not always what it seems to be.

A huge global community with access to the Internet, also provides an ability for presenting whatever an individual or business wishes. Business on the Internet poses more risk than a bricks and mortar business due to the possibility of creating a virtual location out of a bit of HTML and a few images. A virtual store may or may not be in actual existence.

Understandably, potential customers want to know which online businesses they can trust and have assurances that their private data will be kept private. As a good business person, you also want assurances that your customers' data is not open to hackers or other potential abuses. Not only are these business risks bad for business, they may provide legal liability issues.

Domain Name Lawyers conducts website audits for clients, providing your business an assessment of vulnerabilities and possible legal issues. The following legal issues may exist with a website:

  • Trademark infringement – If your website contains business riskthe trademarked images or symbols of another entity, you are at risk. In addition, your domain name itself may violate trademark laws.

  • Copyright infringement - If your website allows others to post or upload content and images, you may be liable for copyrighted material posted by others.

  • Sexual content also known as 2257 (for 18 U.S.C. 2257 ) – Often people talk about free speech, a right protected by the Constitution. What they don’t talk about is the limitations. The 2257 law protects under aged children and unintentional adult victims from being exploited on the Internet. The law requires that if you display pictures of models on your website in sexually explicit poses (including nudity), then you must have legal documentation showing the persons are of legal age and have given consent to display the images on your website. Sexually explicit sites also require certain notices by law.

  • Defamation – Once again, if you allow people to post content on your site, you may be liable for any defamatory statements they post.

  • Data Mining and Customer Privacy – The information age finds various types of people collecting various types of information for various purposes. Data provides information about customers likes and dislikes, their actions on a web site, and their preferences. However, when collecting data, do you know and understand the laws surrounding data mining? Is your web site privacy policy in concert with your practices? How is the information you receive from customers shared and with whom? Are your clients’ personal data secured?

Domain Name Lawyers assists clients in auditing their web sites for trouble areas that may run afoul of Internet laws. We will advise you about agreements you may need with your website designer, content providers, image providers and security people. We can advise you about any require for a “terms of use” agreements, affiliate agreements and whether your web site business falls within specific content laws. Domain Name Lawyers also advises clients of potential risks in mining data and the applicable privacy laws.

Contact Domain Name Lawyers today for a risk assessment of your web site.