You may know the new rules of marketing on the Web, but do you know the legal rules?

The Internet has provided huge opportunities for web developers. Many have expanded their services from just coding to graphic design, copy writing, branding and marketing. Now, more than ever it’s important for you to know the legal rules that apply to these additional services.

Expanded services = Greater legal risks

Unfortunately, broadening the range of services that you provide also adds to the legal risks you face. The days of worrying only about protecting your code, or ensuring you have the proper licenses to use other people’s code, are gone. Additional legal issues now need to be considered such as:

  • Can you develop a web site around an available domain name without infringing someone else’s trademark?
  • Does your customer have the right to use photos and text they provided for use on their web site? And, are you legally responsible if they don’t?
  • Who owns your customers’ web sites and can they stop you from using similar designs for other customers?
  • Are you legally responsible for your customers’ lost sales if your web server goes down and the web sites that you host cannot be accessed?

We untangle the spaghetti-code of risks you face

We understand the legal issues that today’s web developers face, and take a proactive approach to protect our clients. We will work with you to identify risks and develop strategies to handle them. These typically include:

  • Performing preliminary trademark searches before you spend time developing client web sites.
  • Developing standard customer contracts that address web site development, hosting and security issues.
  • Creating and reviewing policies and procedures for minimizing risk.
  • Drafting employee and subcontractor agreements to protect your interests.

Ready to get started?

If you’re ready to get started, contact us to schedule a FREE initial consultation. We’ll listen to you, identify risks, and put together a plan that works. If you’d like to read more about legal issues that pertain to your business, check out our Web Developer Legal Resources and the Butcher Baker Blog.