If a commercial website collects personal information from consumers and users, it is often required that a Privacy Policy be posted to the website. Here are FOUR things to know about Privacy Policies:
- ITS THE LAW, to post a Privacy Policy if a website is directed to children under 13 or a website operator knows that personal information is being collected from kids under 13
- ITS THE LAW, to post a Privacy Policy if any personally identifying information is collected from consumers based in California
- The EU, Canada and Australia require that website operators who collect personally identifiable information from consumers in within their borders post Privacy Policies. Even if you are operating a website from another country, posting a Privacy Policy is recommended if you are collecting information from people in these countries.
- POST AN ACCURATE PRIVACY POLICY. This sounds obvious, but it’s important that the Privacy Policy that you post is accurate, relevant to your business, clear and is not deceptive.
For more information see: State Laws: http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=13463; Children’s Online Privacy: http://business.ftc.gov/privacy-and-security/children%E2%80%99s-online-privacy; EU ‘safe harbor’ arrangement: http://www.ita.doc.gov/td/ecom/menu.html
BY: Vanessa Kaster, Esq.
For more personalized legal services contact me at vk@kasterlegal.com
Put the World On Notice of Your Copyright
February 10, 2011
Like all property rights, copyright is an asset. Keeping track of your copyright protected works and putting the ‘world on notice’ of your copyright is important. Take the simple step to give the world notice of your copyright by adding a copyright notice to fixed forms of your original works. For example, add a copyright notice to copies of all your manuscripts, sheet music, screen plays, comic strips, websites and other original, creative works.
It’s simple to do. The general format for writing out a copyright notice in the USA is: ©; followed by the year that the work was created; followed by the name of the owner/creator of the work. For example: “© 2011 Ima Star.” Adding the extra phrase ‘All rights reserved’ to the copyright notice adds some international copyright protection in Central and South America. For example: “© 2011 Ima Star. All rights reserved.” In either format, the notice is usually placed on the title page of a manuscript, and on the bottom of sheet music, comic strips and websites.
Registering your copyright protected works for copyright protection with the US Copyright Office is also a great idea; however, do know that you can use the copyright notice before registering for copyright protection.
To register your work with the US Copyright Office –> http://www.copyright.gov/forms/
See also:http://wp.me/p10nNq-1o for info on adding a copyright notice to your website; http://www.copyright.gov and www.kasterlegal.com
BY: Vanessa Kaster, Esq., LL.M.
For more personalized legal services contact me at vk@kasterlegal.com
Adding a copyright notice to your website is a good business practice
September 9, 2010
It is a good business practice to add a copyright notice to your website to protect original content which you have posted on your website. When you post original material to your website (such as text, photos, graphics, logos, etc) you automatically own copyright in this content; however, adding a copyright notice to your website gives you extra legal ammunition should you need to go after someone for copying or using content from your website, without your permission. [In legal terms, using the copyright notice will defeat claims of innocent infringement.]
The general format for writing out a copyright notice on a website is: ©; followed by the year that the website was created; followed by your name; and then finally by the phrase ‘All rights reserved.’ For example: “© 2008 Janie Doe. All rights reserved.” Sometimes a date range is also used. For example “© 2008-2010 Janie Doe. All rights reserved.” Usually this notice is placed at the bottom of a website and remains visible on all the different pages of the website.
See also:http://t.co/iDEzsXY for info on what the © means and does for you; http://t.co/7toZaC5 for info on protection in the US and beyond and www.kasterlegal.com
BY: Vanessa Kaster, Esq., LL.M.
For more personalized legal services contact me at vk@kasterlegal.com
