Blogging may seem as easy as sitting down, typing some thoughts out, and hitting publish – but as you get deeper into the practice, you can run into some legal issues you might not expect. Knowing what they are can help you avoid any missteps. Some issues are common sense to people with publishing experience, but others may be a surprise. [Read more…]
New App Protects You From Becoming A Victim Of White Collar Crime
White collar crime is a lot more common than you might think. Are you doing what you need to do to protect yourself and your financial assets? A new app could potentially be the answer to prevent you from becoming a victim. [Read more…]
Are You Making These Common Legal Mistakes on Your Blog?
Editor’s Note: This post was written by Aaron George, an entrepreneur focused on changing the legal industry. His startup called LawKick makes it easier than ever to find affordable, qualified legal help for free.
People blog for different reasons. Some just do it for fun. Some use it as a marketing tool for other products and services. Some do it full-time and make a living by serving up ad impressions. No matter what your reason is, it’s a good idea to be aware of the key legal considerations of operating a blog.
Depending on your blog strategy and your reason for blogging in the first place, there are different legal obligations you must meet.
Photo credit: Anonymous Collective via Flickr
For the casual blogger just writing for the thrill of self-expression, you won’t have more than a few minor legal concerns to think about. But if blogging is your primary source of income, there are more serious legal issues that come into play, and you should definitely address them before it’s too late.
This post highlights three of the most common legal mistakes made by bloggers, along with some tips on what you can do to avoid them. [Read more…]
The Most Effective Ways to Protect Your Business from Major Threats
Research published in Forbes found that only half of the new businesses that are started each year survive their first five years. Since getting a business off the ground and making it a success takes a lot of hard work, the last thing any business owner wants is for a threat to derail their success. However, the competitive nature of business means there are quite a few threats that can do just that. While there’s no way to completely eliminate those threats, the good news is there are plenty of steps you can take to protect your business from them. [Read more…]
5 Legal Nightmares to Scare you on Halloween
With Halloween rapidly approaching, almost everyone is in the mood for a good ghost, zombie or vampire story. But while there’s always a good chill to be had from a scary tale or movie, some of the most frightening things aren’t works of fiction or stories at all, they’re simple facts.
Of those types of scary things, there is little more frightening than the law itself and how it can impact our daily lives.
As bloggers, we’re even more vulnerable than most when it comes to legal issues because, in addition to the usual spate of laws one has to follow day-to-day, we have the responsibilities of dealing with mass media law as well. Something, previously, few outside of the TV, radio, print and related industries had to deal with.
So, if you want some scary thoughts to give you something to ponder, here are five of the scariest legal realities and what they mean for you. [Read more…]
6 Reasons to Register Your Site with the U.S. Copyright Office
If you’ve been reading my column here on the Blog Herald, then you already know that copyright is placed into a work the moment that it is created. This means that you don’t need to do anything at all in order to ensure that your work is protected and that others who misuse it are breaking the law.
But while that’s definitely true, it’s also not quite the full story. In the U.S., though copyright is granted in a work the moment its fixed into a tangible medium of expression, one does not have all of the tools needed to enforce that copyright until they take an additional step.
That additional step is timely registration with the U.S. Copyright Office (USCO) and for many bloggers, both in the U.S. and abroad, it’s a both a good idea and an important step you can take to protect your work.
If you’re wondering why you should register, there are actually many but here are six of the big reasons to get you started (PDF). [Read more…]
The 5 Groups Most Likely To Legally Threaten Your Blog
We’ve talked a lot in this column about the various activities that might get you and your site in legal hot water, including some of the false legal threats you may face.
But that begs the question, who is likely to do either make the threat or file the lawsuit? While the answer could easily be just about anyone as lawsuits online are as varied as thy are in the bricks and mortar world, there are definiely some groups that have been far more litigious than your average netizen.
However, actual data in this area is very difficult, if not impossible, to come by. Not only does one have to factor in the courts of over 50 states and nearly 200 countries, but many of the most important legal threats never actually make it to court.
So, unfortunately, a lot of guesswork is involved but it doesn’t take much research to see some trends forming. With that in mind, if you’re worried about being sued for your blogging activities, here are some groups that you probably want to avoid or at least be wary of messing with. [Read more…]
Who’s Stealing Tumblr’s Name On Windows Phone 7?
Although Tumblr does have official apps upon Blackberry, iPhone and Android, they have yet to release an official app for Windows Phone 7.
Unfortunately it looks like a third party developer (by the name of “sefirot”) has decided to cash in on Tumblr’s lack of official presence by naming their app after the micro blogging site.
Although technically the app is called “Tumblr.” (with a period at the end), it’s doubtful that Tumblr’s lawyers are going to let the app pass unchallenged lest users confuse it for the official app (which can easily damage Tumblr’s brand).
While Tumblr doesn’t seem to mind third party developers utilizing their name within an app (which Ad Astra Consulting did with WPTumblr), it is doubtful that they will be thrilled with the idea of someone using their corporate name which is trademarked.
Ironically something similar happened to Twitter last year (although the company quickly changed the name to TwitterKiss later on) and I would not be surprised if Tumblr’s lawyers contact Microsoft in order to have the app removed or renamed before the year is out.
Twitter Talking Tough About Trademarks And Tweets?
Not desiring their brand to go the way of Xerox, Aspirin and Kleenex (which lost their trademark status in the US), the folks at Twitter wrote a post linking to not only their new logos, but also highlighting the rules when it comes to using “tweet” or “twitter” in a product or service.
We understand that you want your application or product that enhances the Twitter experience to be identifiable as part of the Twitter ecosystem. This is important to us too, but Twitter is also the name of our service and company, so we’re cautious about potential confusion. […]
Use Tweet in the name of your application only if it is designed to be used exclusively with the Twitter platform. (Twitter Help Center)
If Twitter were to attempt to enforce their trademark rights today, they would not only have to go after TweetDeck, but also Twitter for Blackberry as both applications connect users to Twitter and Facebook (note: Twitter for Blackberry is supported by RIM, not Twitter). [Read more…]
Automattic Sets WordPress Free (Trademark)
After holding a monopoly upon one of the most recognized symbols of blogging, Automattic has finally transferred ownership of the WordPress trademark to the the WordPress foundation.
We are pleased to announce that Automattichas made a remarkable and generous donation by transferring ownership of the WordPress trademark to the WordPress Foundation. We’re honored to accept this donation, and to preserve and protect the trademark in the years ahead as a keystone part of the Foundation’s mission to ensure that WordPress is around and thrives for generations to come.
It is highly unusual (to say the least) for a company to give away a trademark worth millions, and this move by Automattic is extremely generous and community-minded. (WordPress Foundation)
Securing the WordPress trademark will help ease some of the fears many had about Automattic, and may also give the WordPress Foundation some much needed authority.
It will also make it easier to enforce the rules regarding use of the trademark which currently forbid for profit companies from using “WordPress” within their respective name (with the exception being Automattic who is Grandfathered in).
While this news will probably not affect most bloggers (at least those who are not into the technicalities or legalities of business), it will probably help secure WordPress’s founder (Matt Mullenweg) legacy for years to come.
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