Many local businesses have websites but not all know the legal rules which apply to them. The Government has just changed the laws on “distance selling” – the rules which apply when you sell on-line, which give consumers a right to cancel contracts within 7 days of delivery of the goods.
 
If you have a website you are required by law to show your full company name, number, VAT number and address on the site. If you use forms for people to fill in which provides you with information about themselves such as their name and email address you have to comply with the Data Protection Act 1998. Many companies comply by having a privacy policy document on their site. If people buy goods or services from the site the site should have terms and conditions of sale which comply with distance selling and electronic commerce law.

It is not long since the UK implemented the Electronic Commerce EU directive. However the government is seeking views on whether the protection given to Internet service providers (ISPs) such as AOL and wanadoo should be extended to cover providers of search engines, providers of keyword advertising services, and content aggregators. This is a very interesting area. The current regulations are the Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002. They provide that ISPs are not liable if they just cache (catch automatically) information and if where they host sites they are not liable for content if they remove offending material quickly.
 
The new issue is whether those providing search engines and directories and content aggregation services should also be protected. Austria, Spain, Portugal, Hungary and Liechtenstein have already extended the limitation of liability to cover these service providers, and the DTI is now considering doing the same.
 
If you would like us to give your web site a legal check then call us on 01491 572138.