The e-commerce industry has grown significantly in the past few years – but its growth has been accompanied by an increasingly rigid regulatory environment. Whilst an e-commerce business can be set up easily in less than an hour, this leads businesses to forget about the legal aspects. If you are thinking of starting an e-commerce business, look no further. Here are the legal issues you must be aware of to ensure that your business properly complies with the law.
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Here are the legal issues you must be aware of to ensure that your business properly complies with the law.
Incorporating your business
If you plan to run your business on an online platform such as a website, it is important to first set up your company if you know there will be purchasing or selling involved. If you fail to set up your company, the business activity might be considered outright illegal. Registering your company is more formally called ‘incorporating’ your business – which simply means you are registering your business as a limited company.
Terms of use and Legal Policies
Moving onto the content of your website – by including certain key pages on your website, you can better protect your online business from future legal disputes.
Here are 4 important legal policies to include on your website:
Terms of Use
Your website should include a Terms of Use page, which is also known as Terms and Conditions. These entail rules and restrictions that must be followed by customers visiting your website. Having a Terms of Use section is important for E-commerce websites because they serve as a ‘contract’ between the visiting customer and business when they are accessing the website.
Delivery/Shipping Policy
If your e-commerce site delivers goods to customers, you should have a Delivery/Shipping policy. A delivery policy should state all the important information which relates to the shipping process after an online order is placed. This includes details on delivery methods, delivery times, shipping costs, and warranties provided.
Returns/Refunds Policy
If you offer returns or refunds as a part of your business model, you should have a return or refund policy that details when and under what circumstances customers are eligible. It should also clearly describe the returns process in detail. Even if you do not offer refunds/returns, you should have a no refund policy to inform your customers that all sales are final.
Copyright Notice
You have to protect your content from being copyrighted by visiting customers and competitors. You can do this by placing a copyright notice on your website stating that the content is your property, protected by copyright and trademark laws. This will inform customers that the content on your website belongs to you under the law, and thus, cannot be taken or copied without permission.
Data Privacy and Privacy Protection
You must remember that customer information used to place an order passes through different security channels. As such, consumer privacy and data protection are two areas of major concern. E-commerce businesses are under a legal obligation to protect consumer privacy and respect their privacy rights. Online businesses should always have a privacy policy on their website explaining to the visitor that their data is being collected and used.
Credit Card Data
If you accept online payment, any personal data collected through the payment process needs to be protected and secured. As an SME, you are probably less likely to directly collect and process payments yourself. Most SME e-commerce businesses license third-party payment getaways for data collection and payment.
Trademarks
The scope for copyright issues is wide in e-commerce, and thus, alongside a copyright notice, online businesses should consider registering trademarks for extra protection. A trademark will protect your business content from being used.
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