10. The Internet without Fear – IP and Legal Issues on the Internet

IP and Legal Issues on the Internet with Paul Lambert of Merrion Legal – 10 Dec 2008

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We are joined in the studio this week by Paul Lambert of Merrion Legal and we will discuss intellectual property and legal issues on the Internet.

The show is sponsored by ICS Skills, who bring you Equalskills the fun and exciting way for complete beginners to learn all about using computers and the internet – for young and old.

As we are learning, the internet is part of our lives with over 50% of the population connected.

The colloquial description of intellectual property is that it comprises all those things that emanate from the exercise of the human mind, such as ideas, inventions, poems, designs, music, etc. In business terms, it includes not only your company name or a product, but IP also applies to the Internet. It is said that IP is worth billions and that it pays to protect it. So what does it really mean and how it affects our online world?

Facts Section

Regulation is a serious, and costly burden on Irish business. At its simplest, EU Disclosure Directive on company law requires that company details, such as registration number and registered office, should be included on a company website.

Last year, AMAS found that:

  • 72% of the home pages did not comply with the Directive
  • 84% of the online forms were non-compliant

However, the AMAS survey revealed a far higher level of compliance with data protection legislation. Almost 75% of websites surveyed included a proper privacy statement but 28% of leading Irish companies failed to publish a privacy statement at all, or in the correct way.

According to a survey conducted by CustomerMinds.com, the majority of companies sending out email marketing material are failing to comply with legal and data protection requirements:

  • 82 percent of senders are failing to include their registered company number;
  • 79 percent are failing to include a company telephone number in all email messages and
  • 62 percent are failing to include their company’s physical street address.

All of these are now required by the new Companies Act Regulations, which came into effect on 1 April 2007.

Source: http://www.enn.ie

Presenter: Peter Lawless

Radio Station: Dublin City FM 103.2

Airtime: 10 Dec 2008, 1.30pm – 2pm

Listen to other Internet without Fear shows