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Do you have an attorney who understands business law in your state? Do you have safeguards in place to protect yourself online? Have you ever considered how serious online legal issues could be?
In this podcast episode, Joe Sanok speaks with Richard Chapo about online liability, terms of service and making sure that you are legally protected online.
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Before Practikat existed, therapists were unable to find products for their practice in one place. Practikat is the first online marketplace exclusively for mental health professionals to buy and sell original products online.
Meet Richard Chapo
Richard is a a sole practitioner at Social Internet Lawyer and has been in practice for over 25 years. He is located in San Diego, California.
As a business lawyer, Richard advises small and large online businesses on how best to comply with laws such as the DMCA as well as FTC regulations applicable to conducting business online.
You can find out more about Richard here:
Richard Chapo’s Story
Richard passed the bar in 1992 in California. For 10 years he was doing defence work and wrongful death cases. In 2000 he went to Siberia and was funded to work in the University where he taught Law and Business. After a year Richard came back home and a friend who was the CEO of an internet company sought help from Richard to do legal services and this was his introduction to the legalities of the web.
In This Podcast
Summary
In this episode Joe speaks with with Richard Chapo about what to avoid in the online world and how to make sure you are legally protected.
Pitfalls To Avoid Online
When you’re running a business, just because its online, don’t abandon common sense.
Do your due diligence and your homework when working with suppliers online. You need to realize there are legal issues in the online environment and you have to comply with those.
If you hire someone to do your site, you have to keep in mind that you are responsible for the website design. Make sure that you have all permissions in place regarding copyrights.
Things To Consider
- If you are promoting an online course, podcast or blog, there is a real possibility that someone can steal your information and pass it off as their own. There is a process called the DMCA which stands for Digital Millennium Copyright Act. It creates a take down procedure where you can contact groups to try and have the content taken down.
- Look at Terms & Conditions on your site, this is a legal contract with your visitors. By having this on your site it sets the battle field with any of your clients if you have problems with them. In order to safeguard yourself you can have a choice of forum clause and licensing clause.
- If someone is trying to sell you something online, require proof that they can deliver.
Creating Terms & Conditions
Your website is an extension of you, your personal brand and your business, treat it as such.
It is highly recommended that you use an attorney to create Terms & Conditions for your business. The cost ranges from $1000 – $3000.
Useful Links:
Liability on Websites and ecourses
Meet Joe Sanok
Joe Sanok helps counselors to create thriving practices that are the envy of other counselors. He has helped counselors to grow their businesses by 50-500% and is proud of all the private practice owners that are growing their income, influence, and impact on the world. Click here to explore consulting with Joe.
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