Web compliance

Although a relatively new area of the law, with the fast development and increasing use of the internet and e-commerce compliance with web laws is becoming ever-important. Businesses put a lot of time and expense into developing their websites and this is obviously a waste of resources if they are found to fall foul of web compliance laws. If you do fall foul of web compliance then anyone can bring a claim against you – the most common claims being made for domain name or copyright infringement.

Other important factors to consider when developing your website in order to make it serve you best and be compliant with laws include placing a disclaimer setting out, for example, the limitations of your liability. If your website collects personal information then you should also have a privacy policy and you should also make your terms of business clear for any site visitors to access.

There are no clear laws that govern the web; however, careful note should be taken of E-Commerce Regulations and the Distance Selling Regulations. The latter requires online traders to provide certain information about their business including goods and services, payment and delivery arrangements and the consumer’s right to cancel. Consumers should also be provided with a ‘cooling off’ period of seven working days. The E-Commerce Regulations require those trading online to provide buyers with certain information such as name, geographic address, contact details, VAT number. In the case of a breach of these regulations, customers can cancel their orders, seek court orders requiring compliance and sue for damages if they have suffered loss and therefore it is important to cover these matters on your website.

If you would like to obtain legal advice on web compliance then Contact Law can put you in touch with a local internet solicitor free of charge. So, if you have any questions or would like our help in finding local internet solicitors please call us at 0800 1777 162 or complete the web-form above.