Self-employment - legal issues
Quick links to:
Intellectual Property
Data Protection
Trading Standards
E-commerce
Intellectual Property
- Photographers and website and
graphic designers retain copyright ownership in the work unless
their contract says otherwise. Copyright can’t protect an idea
although it may protect a piece of work that expresses that idea.
- You must not copy anything without
a copyright-holder’s permission, this includes photocopying, scanning
and downloading from the internet.
- For information on copyright,
trade marks, designs and patents: www.intellectual-property.gov.uk
Data Protection
If your business holds information about its customers on paper
or in electronic format, you need to be aware of the requirements
of the Data Protection Act, and you may need to register. You must
only collect information you need, ensure it is up-to-date and accurate,
and provide the person with a copy of the information you hold on
them, if requested. In particular, it may affect how you market
your business. A downloadable guide is available at www.businesslink.gov.uk.
More
information about the requirements of the act: www.dataprotection.gov.uk
Trading Standards
www.tradingstandards.gov.uk
gives information on consumer-related issues, such as fair trading,
consumers’ and buyers’ rights; downloadable leaflets available.
E-commerce
If
you need information about how to make the most of business on the
internet, there are a number of online guides available. If you
are selling over the net, you will need to register with the Data
Protection Act, and you will need a secure socket layer (SSL) for
processing credit cards.
www.dti.gov.uk/bestpractice/
on using technology in business.
www.tradingstandards.gov.uk
offers an electronic business advice pack.
www.smallbusinessadvice.org.uk
has an online guide.
registration
with DPA; have SSL (secure socket layer) for processing credit cards.
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