Many of our clients have already or will soon be starting an Internet site to advertise their product or service. There is currently a great deal of confusion over trademark, copyright and other intellectual property issues related to web sites. Many of these are evolving issues which will continue to change as courts and legislative bodies try to resolve disputes or prevent others. The material you post on your web site locally may submit you to regulation or litigation in a remote corner of the planet. Interstate and international jurisdiction over material on the Internet is still being decided on a case by case basis with conflicting results.
Disclaimers are critical.
The existence and enforcement of contracts concluded electronically, often without paper backup, is a growing area of concern. No one has all the answers but we can help you sort out your risks and preferred approaches to doing business on the Internet. Most business owners consider some information, formula, process or device to be worth keeping secret from their competition. There are a variety of federal and state laws designed to protect the owners of proprietary information and technology from misappropriation. All laws make it necessary for the business owner, inventor or entrepreneur to take reasonable steps to keep privileged information reasonably secret.